Storm Clouds
by Brin
Summary: Thousands of years after the War of the Ring, Legolas lives in our world...but evil has not been vanquished. It will rise again. And the task of saving the Earth from destruction will be left to Legolas and a few brave others once again.
1. Shrouded in Mystery

Disclaimer: I don't own Fellowship characters, references to the Tolkein universe, the Elvish language, or the lyrics to any of the songs mentioned in this fan fiction story.

A/N: Ok, this takes place in the future… like… our time, ok?

**Storm** **Clouds**

By

Brin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1: Shrouded 

_I amar prestar aen._

The world has changed.

_Han mathon ne nen._

_I can feel it in the water._

_Han mathon ne chae._

I feel it in the earth.

_Han noston ne 'wilith._

I smell it in the air.

_Much that once was…is lost…for none now live who remember it._

_It began with the forging of the Rings of Power. Three were given to the Elves; immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings. Seven were given to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all… desire power. For within these rings was bound the power and the will to rule each race._

_But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made._

_Deep in the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret another ring, a master ring, and into this ring he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all._

_One by one, the free peoples of Middle-Earth fell to the power of the Ring, but there were some who resisted…_

_A Last Alliance of men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the  slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory seemed near… but the power of the ring could not be undone._

_It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father's sword… and Sauron, the enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this once chance to destroy evil forever… but the hearts of men are easily corrupted… and the Ring of Power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur, to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten… were lost._

_History became legend. Legend became myth. For two and a half thousand years, the Ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, the Ring ensnared a new bearer._

_The Ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels under the Misty Mountains and there… it consumed him. The Ring gave Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind and in the gloom of Gollum's cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow in the East; whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived._

_It abandoned Gollum… but then something happened the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A hobbit: Bilbo Baggins of the Shire._

_For the time will soon come when hobbits will shape the fortunes of all._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He walked through the streets silently, booted feet carelessly splashing through the puddles of tainted rainwater pooling along the cracked sidewalk. There was a time when he had had to carefully muffle his footsteps to hide his approach from enemy ears, a time when stealth was the thin line between life and death… But that time had long past.

He wore a winter hat that covered his ears but didn't call too much attention with its dull gray color. He had a mustache and a small beard on the tip of his chin, the rest of his face cleanly shaven. The combination gave him a look of youthful intelligence and yet ageless wisdom. A black trench coat hung loosely on his muscular shoulders, reaching down to his knees and covering a white shirt tucked into blue jeans.

At first glance, you would think he was just a college graduate out for a morning stroll. If you looked twice… maybe you would catch a glimpse of the tortured soul hidden beneath a handsome, seemingly sturdy exterior. A light, nearly invisible scar ran down the right side of his face, over his eye and stopping at his jaw line. He carried himself with an air of despair and sorrow, not entirely hidden by his controlled, muscular movements. His eyes, so blue that they tinted the air in front of them, were filled with an unshed tear and remorse that could send shivers down your spine… 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris Bowman entered The Wood, a locally owned pub and took off his drenched coat. It was raining in Seattle… again. He shook the rain from his head and sat at the bar, removing his wet hat to reveal a head full of blonde hair (after checking to see that no one was watching of course). Immediately, he put on another hat, this time white but still covering his ears.

"The usual?" asked the bartender, an elderly man by the name of Roscoe O'Reilly.

"Yes, please," replied Chris, rubbing his clammy hands together. "And a cup of coffee with that if you don't mind."

"Coming right up," said Roscoe as he lumbered off.

Chris looked around the place. It was small, with no dance floor, but a grand piano in the middle of the room. The tables and chairs were made of dark oak; the chairs he himself had painted with gloss gleamed in the dim light. The bar was also made of oak, though a tad bit lighter from the years of abuse, and was kept sparkling clean by Roscoe. The place was all-too familiar to him; he had been coming here for over twenty years. In that time there had been four different bartenders, and he had successfully avoided exposing himself to them all; they had each worked for five years so he hadn't had to hide the fact that he didn't age at all through each and every one of them. But he was still cautious.

The room was its usual calm, with only a few customers sitting at the round tables reading books and magazines while sipping their coffee. He recognized most of them as the faithful regulars that kept the place running, but there were two new faces. One was a young girl of about nineteen or twenty and the other, sitting next to her, was a boy in his mid to late-twenties. He guessed they were brother and sister since they were the same in stature and appearance: brown hair, brown eyes, and both about five-foot-ten.

"Here's your coffee and your scotch," said the bartender, putting the selected items down in front of Chris and then moving to another customer.

Chris picked up his scotch and took a drink. He often times got stares for drinking in the morning, but he didn't mind. It was part of his daily routine, which had been carved and crafted to his liking over the past thousands of years.  
  


"…that's wrong, I'm telling you," insisted a voice, catching Chris's attention.

He turned to the two strangers sitting in the middle of the room. There was a laptop sitting on their table and they were obviously arguing about something on it.

"No, there was an eyewitness account of it," countered the young man. "And this picture, which gives the police more than enough proof."

The girl rolled her eyes and pointed at the screen. "Look at the picture. If you zoom in and work on the resolution with that program of yours—" She paused, presumably as the laptop performed the work she was voicing "—then you can see that there was more than one person in that ally. Look at all those faces."

The young man looked appalled. "Ugly faces that they are."

"Yeah, that doesn't look quite right," joked the girl. "Looks more like dog-faced trolls or one of those Orc-things you hear about in fairy tales."

Chris's ears perked up and he placed his drink on the bar to listen more carefully.

"It's that gang, The Goblins," said the young man, typing furiously. "They were in the paper because they were involved in a drug war some years back. I remember doing an article in the school paper about them."

"I think we should go check it out," suggested the girl, eyes twinkling mischievously. "I mean, we have enough information."

Chris didn't hear past the first sentence. He stood up, moved over to the table, and quietly but firmly said, "You draw far too much attention to yourselves. Keep your voices down when speaking of entities that can kill you with the wave of a hand."

They looked up at him. "Who're you?" demanded the young man.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," retorted Chris, looking around. "Come with me, you are in enough trouble as it is."

"Trouble?" asked the girl incredulously. "I don't know who you think you are, Mister, but there's a little saying Mama taught us that goes 'Never talk or leave with strangers, especially if they're total lunatics.'" She glared at him.

"Touché," said Chris, his eyes darting towards the window. "Now here's something your Mama apparently never told you: it is unwise to oppose those who have the knowledge to save your life, no matter how worthless it may be."

"Never heard that one," she sneered.

Suddenly, Chris's head whipped around. "Get down! Everyone, get down!" he shouted just as a blizzard of bullets shattered the glass window at the front of the bar. The customers all hit the ground, except Chris, who ran to the door and poked his head out even as bullets whizzed by his ears. He saw the black van door slide shut and watched as it drove away, leaving behind a cloud of dust and the broken remains of The Wood.

"What the hell was that?" shouted Roscoe as he bolted to his feet. "Chris, what happened?"

"The Goblins," said Chris quickly before taking off at a run for his car.

The young man and woman looked at each other before jumping to their feet and hurrying after him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris had just sat down behind the wheel when a banging on his windows made him start in surprise. In one swift movement, he pulled the Glock out of his glove compartment and pointed it at the window. Two dark-headed figures jumped ten feet backward in unison, shouting the same string of unmentionable curses.

"Damn it, do you two have a death wish?!" shouted Chris, opening the door.

"You're the one with a gun in your car!" replied the girl from the bar as she tried to regain some of her dignity. "And what the hell are you doing pointing it at people?"

"That's generally what you do with a gun!" he snorted. "Get in!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tell me your name before I officially label you 'the naïve little girl with an attitude,'" said Chris as he sped down the highway at staggering speeds.

"My name is Eve Williams and this is my brother, Trent," said the girl, who was clutching the armrests of Chris's sleek black Benz so tightly that her knuckles were turning white against the dark leather.

"Don't dent the leather," mumbled Chris, noticing this. He swerved to the shoulder and passed a semi-truck, then went on an off-ramp, nearly hitting the car in front of them.

"Are you crazy?!" shouted Trent, who was sitting in the back, as Chris almost fishtailed off the road. "Where are you taking us?"

"I've been chasing The Goblins for years," replied the blonde man as he took a hard right. "They know they're not supposed to mess with me. I'm going to teach them a lesson. You can watch if you want."

"What?!" screamed Eve. "You're going to fight The Goblins by yourself?"

"My partner is going to rendezvous with us," said Chris calmly.

"Your partner?" asked Trent, brown eyes wide with fear.

Chris pulled a wallet from his trench coat and shoved it in Eve's face. "Chris Bowman, detective." He tapped the shiny gold badge and I.D.

Eve's jaw dropped as she realized she had been harassing a real police officer for the last thirty minutes. To hide her surprise, she joked, "You aren't going to have to kill us now since we know who you are, are you?"

"If you only knew," mumbled Chris. He slammed on the breaks, throwing his two passengers forward, and pointed at a bleak looking building on the waterfront. "There it is." He unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbed a holster full of guns and bullets, and got out of the car, not seeming to care about the pouring rain. "You can stay here or come with me."

Trent and Eve exchanged glances. "We're going." They said in unison.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris led the group as they picked their way through broken glass and sharp shards of metal. As he neared the entrance, he gestured with his hand. Eve and Trent got behind him. The detective pressed himself up against the wall, gun raised, and then jumped out from behind the corner.

"Freeze!" he shouted. A bullet whizzed by his ear and hit the brick wall behind him. Eve screamed and Trent looked to see what had happened.

"One of these days, you're gonna get killed!" a strange man was saying as he hit Chris upside the head in a brotherly manner. Trent assumed that he was Chris's partner. He relaxed and Eve also poked her head around the corner to see what was going on.

"And you're gonna be the one to finally kill me," said Chris with a crooked smile. "I would work on that itchy trigger finger you have there, Jack."

Eve's heart did a somersault as she saw Chris smile for the first time. He sure was a handsome one. She timidly walked up behind the two cops and cleared her throat unnaturally loud to make a point.

Chris turned around, the smile on his face still lingering. "Jack, I have two apparent journalists tailing me this time."

Jack's grin faded and he gave Chris a look of disapproval. "You need to stop telling civilians your secrets and stop bringing them everywhere. One of them is going to get killed one of these days."

"Excuse me?" interrupted Trent. "I am a journalist and would like being referred to as such, not a simple civilian. This is a big story! The two cops who take on The Goblins!"

Jack shook his head. He was a tall, thin man, at least 6' 2", with chestnut-colored hair and greenish blue eyes. In contrast to Chris, he was wearing a light brown trench coat, khaki pants, and a white shirt. They both wore the same white sock hat pulled over their ears. 

"Look, son," he said to Trent. "This is dangerous stuff. We've 'taken on' The Goblins many times, but we haven't yet discovered their main hideout, which is somewhere underground. If you're gonna come with us, you'll need to do _everything_ we say _when_ we say it, understood?"

Eve and Trent nodded.

Chris, who had a small waterfall coming off the end of his nose by this time, looked up at the rainy, gray skies and then at Jack. "Let's do this."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack wired the door to get it open and they slunk inside. Trent was scribbling the entire ordeal down on his journalist's notepad, glad that he had recently gotten a new one so he wouldn't run out of paper.

"What is this place?" whispered Eve cautiously.

"This is where The Goblins have set up camp for the night," replied Jack as he led the way down the dark hall. They came to a steel door.

Eve swore she heard Chris mumble something under his breath. "Did you say something?" she asked.

A momentary look of alarm passed over Chris's eyes, but he glanced away and when he looked back at her his eyes were once again blank. "Nothing, nothing." He moved forward to Jack's side, leaving her behind.

"Men," growled Eve as she fell into step with her brother.  
  
Jack put a finger to his lips and then turned to consider the door. "Once we go in here, I don't want a word out of either of you,"  he whispered so quietly that both Eve and Trent had to lean forward to hear him. "This is where there's no turning back."

Chris pulled out a crowbar and put it between the door and the doorframe. With one strong push, the metal doorknob popped out and he was slowly able to yank the huge steel door open.

The hall was almost pitch black, the only light coming from the holes in the ceiling where rain was leaking through. The ground was covered in a slimy film that stuck to their shoes briefly and made a squelching sound when they stepped in a puddle of it. On either side there were dark, ominous doors that seemed to shriek their own sad songs of the times they had seen.

Eve opened her mouth to scream as something slithered over her foot, but before any sound could come out Chris clamped a hand on her face. "It is unwise to do such things in a place like this," he whispered so silently that she could barely hear him.

The young woman shook her head furiously and almost sighed in relief when Chris moved on. Trent nudged her forward and she glared at him as she continued. Then, without warning, she collided with something HARD. At first guess she would've thought it was a wall, but when she looked up from her position on the ground she saw Chris standing there his back to her. He hadn't even budged. Trent helped her up and they exchanged curious glances, trying to peek over Chris and Jack's broad shoulders.

"What's wrong?" asked Eve, a sudden wave of panic washing over her.

"We're being watched," replied Jack. "We've been watched since the moment we set foot in here. We never should've come. Get out!"

"But I can't see anyone!" protest the young woman, looking around the darkness. Her eyes had adjusted a bit, and she could now see three feet ahead of her. But that was it.

Suddenly, Chris yelled "DUCK!" and they all hit the ground just before a rainstorm of thin missiles flew over their heads and blew up as they hit the ground. Trent and Eve were thrown forward from the force of the explosions, both of them landing on top of Chris.

To their surprise, however, Chris stood his ground without so much as a struggle, letting them both fall to the ground in a painful heap. He drew something from his pocket and loaded it with another strange item in his hand then shot into the darkness. Screams of pain were heard from far off, followed by feral cries of outrage.

"What's happening?" yelled Eve over the roar of the fire behind them and the deranged, animalistic shouting coming from all sides. She screamed when Chris fell backward next to her, a long metal rod protruding from his shoulder.

"Legolas!" shouted Jack, running back towards the fallen officer. There were metal missiles flying all around him, but he seemed to be able to dodge them even as they came at him from behind. He knelt next to Chris and looked up at Eve and Trent, turquoise eyes shrouded with fury. "Help me get him out of here. Now!"

The flying missiles began to cease as the three dragged a moaning Chris out of the building, but the horrid screams got louder and louder until they burst from the dark, stank place. The door slammed behind them as if by magic and they were left there… left standing in the Seattle rain.


	2. Uh Oh

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.

****

**Storm** **Clouds**

By

Brin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 2: Uh Oh 

Eve and Trent sat uncomfortably in Jack's living room. In the past two hours they had been shot at with something that resembled a grenade gun, forced to trudge through unnamed and unidentified slime, and covered in ash. When the group had escaped, they ran out to Chris's car and Jack sped home, thoroughly shooting down any thoughts of going to the hospital. For the last hour Jack had been tending to Chris in his 'makeshift medical room.' Every now and then Chris could be heard mumbling something incoherent or Jack speaking quietly.

Since they had gotten back, Eve had been silently pondering the day's happenings in her head. How had Chris known The Goblins were going to attack? How did he know exactly where they were? What was that strange name Jack had called out when Chris was shot?

Trent, however, had been busily formulating his speech for the award he was going to receive for this. The headline would read: **First journalist to enter Goblin meeting place and come out alive.** The bonuses and promotions were playing over and over again in his head. He barely paid notice to his sister when she got up from the black leather couch and began to explore the house with childlike curiosity.

Eve went up to the fireplace and ran her hands along the mahogany-colored mantle. The place was an average-sized two story house, but the décor was eccentrically luxurious and elaborate. The staircase banister was made of the same reddish wood as the mantle with silver carpet on the stairs, in the bedrooms, and the living room. She walked down a hardwood-floored hall and glanced to the entryway, which was right in front of the staircase with a gray marble floor.

Looking up at the top of the stairs, she decided there couldn't be anything interesting up there and moved into the chrome kitchen. There was an oven and cutting area in the middle of the room, with pots and pans hanging from the ceiling over it. She guessed that Jack had large dinners more than once in awhile. The 'fridge was almost twice as big as the one she had at home, and filled with about half as much food.

"What're you doing?" said a voice.

Eve jumped and slammed the refrigerator door shut, narrowly avoiding smashing her fingers in there as well. She whirled around and glared at Chris, who was standing in the doorway. "Don't do that!" she scolded, putting a hand over her heart.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to go through other people's property?" he asked as he stiffly moved into the room. He had a bloodied bandage covering his left shoulder, no shirt, and a black winter hat (once again covering his ears).

Eve half-smiled as he realized he was teasing her. "Yep, but I didn't think that applied to the property of a crazy lunatic."

"I thought _I_ was the 'crazy lunatic.'"

"Okay, you can be the crazy lunatic and Jack will be…the insane moron," mused Eve, keeping her eyes anywhere but his bare chest and the top of his green and blue plaid boxers sticking out of his sagging jeans.

"Good choice of nicknames." He paused. "Are you ready to go home now?"

"Not exactly… I have a few questions."

Chris leaned against the counter with a wince, then looked up at her. "Shoot."

"How did you know The Goblins were going to attack The Wood?" she asked bluntly.

"I saw the van outside."

"Yes, but what were you talking about before that, when you said that 'we draw too much attention to ourselves?' Did that have something to do with it?"

Chris sighed. "The Goblins are everywhere, whether you see them or not. If you and your brother have been gathering information about them, they've known the moment you hacked into a site to find it. You're very lucky I was there when they attacked or they probably would've succeeded in killing you both."

"What makes you so special?"

"They fear me," said the detective with a shrug. "I told you, I've fought them for many years, as did my father before me, and they know I'm not someone to mess with. I've made it clear that The Wood is strictly off-limits to them."

Eve frowned. "I don't understand."

"Some things are better left that way," he said, raising his eyebrows. "Anything else?"

"Yes," said the girl quickly. "What was that strange name Jack called you back there? I think it was something like 'Legalus' or 'Legolas' or something like that."

Chris looked down, breaking eye contact. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't believe you. You're hiding something."

"A detective as deeply involved with The Goblins as much as I has many secrets, most of them too horrible for someone like you to hear. I wouldn't want to taint your fair ears," he mused, then pinned her with a serious stare. "Stay away from The Goblins. They are a force to be reckoned with, and I suggest you leave them to the professionals."

Eve narrowed her eyes at him. "It's a free country. I'll do what I want."

Chris's eyes hardened. "Listen to me. I'm serious. You tangle with The Goblins and you're going to get killed. Jack and I won't always be there to pull you out of a spot."

"You're the one who put me in the danger in the first place!" countered Eve.

"You are the one who agreed to come in with us," argued the man. "You could've stayed in the car where it was safe."

"Okay, look, thanks for the experience and the whole lot, but I've got the information I need about The Goblins. You work your way and I'll work mine." She began to storm out of the room.

"Eve, you're making a big mistake," warned Chris, not bothering to follow her.

"Screw you," she replied bitterly. "I'm going home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Legolas, you took a great risk taking those humans into the Goblin Nest. They could've been killed, and so could you," scolded Izareth/Jack as he grabbed two beers from the refrigerator and followed his friend into the living room, where they had turned on ESPN on Izareth's big screen.

Chris/Legolas looked up at his friend as he sat on the plush couch. "Look, I'm sorry, but they were about to get scratched. What else was I supposed to do, just sit there and watch?"

"They're not your responsibility, Legolas," said Izareth sternly. "It's not your job to take care of every potential Goblin victim out there."

"You have no conscience, Izareth," declared Legolas as he took a sip of his beer, eyes intently watching the game on television. Steelers vs. Patriots. "Why not save a few lives when given the chance? And besides, one day you might be thankful that I saved these men."

"How so?"

"They could, one day, save your life."

Izareth snorted. "I think not."

"You have learned nothing over the years, my friend," said Legolas with a sigh. "One day, you will regret your cruelty to the race of men."

"The race of men are the symbol of cruelty."

"And the race of men currently rule the world," said the other elf, ending the argument and directing his attention back to the game.

The Patriots got a touchdown.

"NO! What was that? Come on!" shouted Izareth. "These Steelers are going to cost me a fortune!"

Legolas laughed and held out his hand. "That'd be twenty."

Izareth glared at his companion, but then sighed and pulled a crumpled twenty from his pocket, slamming in Legolas's hand with a little more force than necessary. "This isn't fair. You always know who's going to win."

Legolas didn't say anything, just smiled to himself and pocketed the money.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve sat at her desk with her reading glasses on, looking through article after article she had saved over the years involving The Goblins and specific police involved with the capture of a few of them. She had this nagging at the back of her head that there was more to Chris Bowman than met the eye.

"No… no… no… no!" she muttered to herself. Then, finally: "Bingo." She pulled out a rather large newspaper clipping with a picture of a busted Goblin leader and the two police that had caught him.

The Goblin leader, also called an Orc by the populous, had a mask over his face to hide his identity. Standing on one side of the tall Orc was Chris, on the other Jack. They weren't smiling, standing stiffly with their hands behind their backs as if they didn't enjoy having their picture taken. Knowing that every Goblin in the city of Seattle had probably memorized his face from this one innocent picture, she understood his obvious reluctance at having his face printed for all to see. But there was something that bothered her. This picture had been taken during one of the hottest days of the summer last year, yet… Chris and Jack were both wearing those sock hats. Why would they do that?

"Trent," called Eve as she rolled her chair over to her computer.

Her brother, who had just gotten out of the shower, came into the room pulling his t-shirt on. "Yeah?" he asked, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of her room.

"You were right about hearing their names before. I found an article of Chris and Jack from a year ago."

Trent grinned proudly. "I told you. These guys are good; there's no way they could've gotten this far without us journalists finding out. I mean, the biggest stories these days are about The Goblins and—"

"Shut up, Trent," growled Eve. "I get this lecture all day from my professors. I don't need to hear it here, too." Eve was a senior in college; she would graduate in the spring with (hopefully) a degree in journalism. "I found something… odd."

  
Trent sighed. "What?"

Eve scanned the article into her computer and enlarged the image 100x. Her resolution programs went to work, clearing up the image's poor pixel quality. "Okay, this is dated in the middle of summer and I know Seattle isn't exactly the Bahamas, but I remember this day was one of the hottest in the entire summer… Chris and Jack are both wearing black sock hats. Don't you think that's just _a little_ bit weird?"

Trent leaned forward as the computer finished clearing up the image. "You're right… but maybe it's just their favorite style or something."

Eve chose to ignore that. "The only reason they would wear something like that in the summer would be because 1) they're bald or 2) they have something to hide. Personally, I think it's the latter." She pointed to Chris's head. "Look how carefully they've pulled down the fabric. It starts high at the front then slants down at the back. It's perfect."

"That's how I wear my hats," defended Trent.

"No, not like this. This is like… movie perfect. There's a lot of emphasis on covering their ears," explained Eve. "What's that all about?"

"I don't know and, honestly, I don't care, Eve," said Trent with a sigh. "Haven't you had enough? We could've gotten killed this morning."

Eve glared at him. "I'm a journalist and I'm not letting this go until I find closure to all these questions."

"You better get used to the disappointment," warned Trent, "because you aren't always gonna find the answers you _need_ or the answers you _want_ in this business."

"I'll get used to it later…" Her watch went off and she abruptly stood up. "Damn. I got to get to class."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve was at class all day, studied all evening, and didn't have time to explore anymore that night. The next morning she had more classes and she begrudgingly went to them, her heart longing to stay home and practice her journalist abilities.

Her break, however, came when a knock on the classroom door jolted her sleeping algebra teacher awake. She was working on her relations and functions assignment for the day, though her mind was not really into it. The teacher stood, straightened his tie, and opened the door. "Good morning," he said, his broad shoulders blocking the class's view of whomever it was. There was a deep, incoherent mumbling, then the teacher smiled and said, "Yes, come in, come in! It's so good to see you again!"

The girls (and some of the guys) gasped when the teacher stepped back and a handsome, tall man in a black trench coat ambled into the room.

Erika, Eve's best friend, leaned over and excitedly whispered, "Oh. My. God. How _hot_ is that guy?"

Eve looked at Chris, who was talking with the teacher and laughing as if they were good friends. Chris stole a glance at her, a smile lingering on his face, as he listened to the teacher ramble on about how the school was changing.

This smile, however, didn't go unnoticed by Erika, who squealed, "Eve, he just _smiled_ at you! Do you _know_ that guy?"

As if in answer to her question, the teacher turned around and said, "Eve, why didn't you tell me you knew this fine young man? He was one of my best students back in the day!"

Eve shrugged. "I just met him yesterday."

"Well, come, come. Detective Bowman says he would like to borrow you for the day and has convinced the headmaster to excuse you from your classes today. And I must say, it sounds like you two are going to have _quite_ an adventure," said the professor, smiling widely.

Erika's jaw dropped down to her toes as Eve stood up, gathered her stuff, and casually walked up to Chris. "I thought you told me to leave 'them' alone," she said.

Chris tilted his head down and looked at her over his sunglasses. "I need you to do something for me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve was in awe as she sat down at Chris's office computer. Flat-screened, 20 gig, with printer, DVD player, CD/DVD burner, scanner, and state-of-the-art speakers. "How the hell did you afford all this?" she asked as he inserted a disk into the floppy drive.

"Savings," mumbled Chris absently as he stood up and pointed to a document icon that popped up on the desktop. "Read that."

Eve opened the document. It read:

---------------------------------------------------------

_February 11, 2001_

_The Goblins, a gang running amuck in Seattle, Washington, were seen a few days ago running through the Seattle streets setting things ablaze. Three people were killed in the fire. Mysteriously, two of them were undercover police officers involved in the investigation of what was thought to be The Goblin hideout. The third person killed was a black market hacker who was reportedly said to freely give out secret information about the infamous Goblins. No one knows how The Goblins accessed this information, but the police have promised that it will not happen again._

_--Anonymous_

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Eve sat back in her chair. "Where'd you get this?"

"It's an article from some private website. I need you to tell me who wrote this," said Chris calmly. He turned the chair around so that she was facing him. "Who wrote this article, Eve?"

"Trent," mumbled the young woman.

Chris sighed heavily as if he had known this but didn't want to believe it. "Did he publish it from his home computer?"

"Yeah… why?"

"Damn," growled the detective. He pulled out a pad of paper. "This is my cell phone number. I want you to call this number if anything happens and I'll be there within two minutes, alright?"

"Okay."

He locked her with an intense stare. "The Goblins are on the move. There is a full moon tonight… and when the moon hits its peak in the night sky, they are going to finish off any hits that weren't completed… meaning you and your brother better watch out. Tonight is a dangerous night."

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The rest of the day was spent in Chris's office. Chris taught Eve a lot of important things about the way The Goblins thought and how to, should they attack, reach him without alerting them to that fact. 

Eve was amazed at how much he knew. It was almost like he was one of them… she quickly shook the thought from her head and asked, instead, a more innocent but just as blunt of a question: "How do you know all this… and why do you even bother? The Goblins are one of the most frustrating groups to chase, or so I've heard. Most cops give up after just a few months."

Chris leaned against his desk. He had rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt and his muscles bulged underneath the fabric. "My father and his father before him fought with The Goblins day in and day out. They spent the best years of their lives trying to find the main Orc hideout. I remember once going into his office late at night to bring him some tea when I was just a little boy… he took me onto his knee and said, 'Chris, you are my only son and I barely know you. The Goblins take up all my time and I wish that I could just rid them of this world and be done with it. When I'm gone, I need you to finish whatever I leave behind. Promise me you'll get them. Promise me.' And I promised him," Chris said, changing his words a bit to fit modern times.

"Was your father killed by The Goblins?" asked Eve quietly.

"No. I killed my father," whispered Chris so softly that Eve barely deciphered his words.

"You killed him?"

"Yes, I did. But that's a story for another day," said the detective, turning away from her and walking to the window. "You should get home. If Trent is there alone, they'll get him for sure."

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"…and more scrutiny has been placed on the Bush administration since investigators discovered…" droned the anchor on the television.

Eve sat on Trent's faded blue couch bored, anxious, and a bit scared. Trent was in his office working on a new article. She was worried about him being alone. He had been quiet for nearly three hours. Eve, growing restless, finally turned off the TV and went into Trent's office, sitting in the chair in front of his desk like a client would in a lawyer's office. She leaned against the dark wood and sighed. "Do you think that they're coming for us?"

Trent glanced up at her over his glasses. "I don't know."

"You scared?"

"A little bit."

Eve dragged her hand down her face. "I'm terrified."

Trent sighed and turned off his laptop. "I don't think there is any reason to be terrified. I mean, Chris said he'd respond within a second if we called and—"

The power went off.

"You were saying?" mumbled Eve. She picked up the phone and briefly listened for a  dial tone. "It's dead."

"Where's your cell?"

Eve's eyes widened. "Upstairs."

Bump.

Trent looked up. Eve moved beside him.

Bump. Bump.

"They're in the house," whispered Eve, looking around. The moonlight spilling through the window was the only source of light, but her eyes were quickly adjusting to the darkness of the room.

Ba-bump, bump, bump.

"Oh hell…" muttered Trent. "They're upstairs." He moved to the door and opened it a crack. The rest of the house was pitch-black, save the living room, which was also lit by the light of the moon. "We're in trouble."

CRASH!!!

Eve screamed as the window shattered and a bunch of howling figures came into the room. She punched the nearest one and then ran out of the office with Trent, who closed the door behind them and placed a chair against it. The Goblins screamed like wild animals, pushing against the door. The chair began to crack under the pressure.

"Come on," shouted Trent, running towards the front door.

Alas, the front door was burst open and ten more Goblins filed in. They spotted the two helpless people and ran at them, wildly waving their weapons in the air.

"No, not that way!" yelled Eve as she turned and ran up the stairs. A few Goblins started coming down and she punched the first one in the face. He fell down the stairs on top of his comrades, which were following them up.

Trent grabbed a shirt that had been lazily discarded on the railing and wrapped it around the head of one of The Goblins. He screamed and tried to claw at Trent's hands, but Trent swung his head around, causing him to knock into The Goblins above him. They all toppled down the stairs and landed in a writhing heap, preventing their fellow Goblins from coming up.

Eve and her brother ran into Eve's bedroom, slamming the door behind them. She hastily dug around for her cell phone while he barricaded the door with her bed, her desk, and her bureau.

"Where'd you put the damn thing?" shouted Trent as The Goblins outside smashed against the door. He pressed himself against the furniture to keep them from moving it out of the way.

Eve found it in her jacket pocket and dialed Chris's number.

"Hello?" said a familiar voice.

"Jack, it's Eve."

There was a pause, and then: "Eve, what's happening?"

"They're here. They've come," she said quickly, remembering not to say "The Goblins are attacking us!" over the phone, which was a dangerous thing to do since hardly any cell phone calls were totally private.

"Alright, Eve. We'll be right over." He hung up.

Eve put the phone down and turned to Trent just as The Goblins broke the door in half with an axe and starting shoving the furniture out of the way. Eve, unable to see anything in the darkness of her windowless room, picked up a flashlight and turned it on.

As soon as the light hit them, The Goblins screamed and fell back.

"What the hell?" muttered Eve, shining the flashlight on them again. The Goblins shouted incoherent phrases in rage but didn't move closer.

Trent and Eve stared in shock at their faces. Their features were human, yes, but… but somehow deformed. Their noses were smashed against their faces, some of them looking like a truck had run over their heads. Their ears were elongated; their skin not pale, but a grayish color as if they were ill. Their hair was long, disgusting, and stringy, falling down past their shoulder blades almost to their waists. Their eyes were sunken in and black as night, wreathed in red veins.

"Stupid humans!" one of them shouted, the first intelligible words they had uttered the entire time.

Eve stepped back in fear and The Goblins stepped forward, now close enough to move the furniture. They ducked down so that the light could not shine on them and started shoving her bed out of the way. Eve ran forward and pointed the flashlight at them from atop the bureau, causing them to scream as if in pain and move all the way back to the stairs.

"Take that you cowards!" she shouted with move bravado than she felt. "Run! Yeah, run like the little sissies you are!"

The batteries went out.

"Oh damn."

Trent pulled Eve off the bureau as The Goblins stampeded forward once again. The two pressed themselves against the walls as their adversaries did quick work of the furniture.  When all the furniture was successfully removed, The Goblins parted and a tall, dark figure stepped into the room.

"Oh God… an Orc…" whispered Trent, hugging his sister tightly.

The Orc was so tall that he had to duck when he came in the door. He had to be just shy of seven feet tall. His hair was long like The Goblins', although his hung down only to the middle of his back. His arms were as thick as tree trunks, his skin gray like storm clouds. He looked deathly ill.

"You two have meddled in affairs that are much larger and more complicated than you could ever imagine," said The Orc, his voice like a lion's roar. "No longer will you prevent us from our mission. We have been sent here to kill you." He raised two strange-looking weapons and pointed it at the both of them. "I'll see you in Hell."

"I don't think so," said a voice from behind The Goblins just as someone crashed through the window and landed on The Orc, knocking him to the ground.

Eve looked up to see Jack pummeling Goblins left and right from the rear while others scrambled to run away from him. Chris was busy with The Orc, who was shooting long, pointed spears at him. Chris ducked, then jumped, then sidestepped and ran at The Orc, tackling him around the waist. Trent got up and tried to join the fight, but Jack ran forward and stopped him after the last Goblin had left the house.

Chris shoved The Orc's face into the ground and handcuffed him. "Watch him. I'm going to make sure there aren't anymore surprises." He stood to leave, but all of a sudden, The Orc started making a choking sound. Chris turned The Orc over onto his back and saw that he was foaming at the mouth, lips burned.

"What… what did he do?" asked Eve, appalled.

Chris cursed under his breath as the Orc stilled…and died. "He poisoned himself."

"How?" asked Trent, turning away in disgust.

"He must've had some kind of mechanism in his mouth. Damn them," growled the detective as he stood up. "Damn them and their 'loyalty' to their leader."

"Do you think it's over for now?" asked Trent, looking around apprehensively.

"No. They're probably outside waiting. Jack and I will check out the house to make sure that there aren't any stragglers," said Chris. "Come with us. We can't have you walking around alone."

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Chris scoured the front yard while Jack checked across the street. Eve and Trent stuck close to Chris, too afraid and untrusting of Jack to go with him. Chris searched the bushes, the trees, and the neighbors' yards, but found no trace of The Goblins.

Jack returned from his scouting with the same results. "But I know they're out there, even if they haven't left bread crumbs for us to follow," he announced, looking around suspiciously…

And he was right.

Movement in the corner of Eve's eye caught her attention and she turned to see two Orcs standing in the trees with weapons similar to that of the other Orc. "Look out!" she shouted, pointing to the two Orcs.

Jack pushed Trent and Eve to the ground. "Get down!"

The Orcs shot.

Eve watched in horror as two spiked metal rods flew from the trees towards the detectives. Chris, at the last moment, reached out and plucked his from the air before it smashed into his chest.

Jack, however, wasn't as lucky. The rod's aim was true and it pummeled into his chest right above where his heart was. The tall man fell to the ground with a resounding 'thud' as The Orcs ran away, shouting to each other triumphantly.

"IZARETH!" screamed Chris, running over to the fallen officer and kneeling next to him, hands shaking. "Izareth… Izareth."

Jack looked up at Chris and smiled, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. "They got me good."

Chris shook his head. "I've been working with you for five years, Izareth. I'll be damned if they take you now!"

Izareth clamped his hand on Chris's arm. "Godspeed, Legolas. Godspeed to ya."

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	3. The Council, The Spy, the Secret

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.

****

**Storm** **Clouds**

By

Brin__

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**Chapter 3:** **The Council,** **The Spy, The Secret**

Chris stood outside the emergency room door, leaning against the wall. He was covered in Jack's blood all across his front and some of it had dripped onto the white hospital floor. Whenever someone tried to address him, he either totally ignored them, eyes glued to the bloodspots on his clothes, or just stared at them like they were a ghost.

Eve and Trent were troubled. Or, Eve was worried and Trent was just too shocked to move or speak.

"He hasn't moved from that spot in three hours," said Eve in a hushed tone. Trent nodded. "I'm worried his legs are going to give." Another nod. "Do you think I should talk to him?" More nodding.

Eve was about to get up and go over there, but a nurse exited the ER and talked to Chris quietly awhile before going about her business. Eve waited a few minutes and, when the detective remained expressionless and didn't move from his spot, she finally gained enough bravado to approach him. "Is everything alright?" she asked tentatively.

Chris turned to her, blue eyes cloudy. "He's going to be fine, but he'll be off duty for awhile," he said calmly. "I'll be on inactive duty until he's better."

"Oh… well that's good," said Eve, managing a weak smile.

"They're going to keep him here for at least a week," Chris added.

Eve opened her mouth to say something comforting, but his cell phone went off and he quickly answered it.

"Bowman… Yeah." Pause. "Uh huh. Right. Twenty minutes?" He checked his silver watch. "I'll be there in five. Don't start without me. Okay. Bye." He looked up at Eve again. "I have something I need to attend to. If you want a place to stay you can go down to the station, tell them Bowman sent you and that you were attacked by The Goblins, and they'll give you a temporary condo until your house is safe again."

Eve nodded and silently watched as he turned and disappeared own the corridor. She went over to her brother, gave him the same instructions Chris had given her, and announced, "I'm going to follow him."

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Chris pulled his black Benz into the parking lot of an old, rundown warehouse and covered it with a brown tarp before setting the car alarm and walking casually towards the building.

Fifty yards away, Eve parked her green Ford, making sure it was hidden by the tall grass of the broken parking lot, and crawled forward on her hands and knees to watch.

The detective ran up to the main door and knocked three times, then twice, then four times quickly, and then twice. As he waited, water began to fall from the stormy sky once again, the rain falling down his face like tears. He looked up at the clouds and squinted, as if he expected to see something overhead. Maybe he did.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and Chris was ushered inside by a figure that Eve was unable to see.

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"King Legolas, welcome," said Eteryn, taking the taller Elf's coat and helping him put on his Royal Robes. "The Council has been awaiting your arrival." The tiny Elf looked around. "Where is Lord Izareth?"

"Lord Izareth has been disabled by an Orc. He will be unable to fight for at least a month," said Legolas calmly. He moved past Eteryn into the Council Hall.

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Eve stood outside the warehouse, trying to figure out a way in. She went around to the back and glanced up at the windows, which were a good fifty feet above the ground. She immediately ruled that option out, for she hated heights. Then, she noticed the vent nestled between two decaying old crates. She went over and pulled the cover off, satisfied to find that the vent was big enough for her to crawl through…

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Legolas took a seat at the Council Table, which was fairly large. It had been kept in good condition for thousands of years, made in the Old Age by an Elven carpenter. The Council Hall was simply an abandoned warehouse; nothing too special. It provided the necessities, though, such as privacy and shelter from the weather. Dinner had been set out upon the Table, consisting of soups, meats, vegetables, and deserts. There were also golden goblets filled to the very top with fine wine refined to fit Elven tastes at every seat.

"Where is Lord Izareth?" asked a female Elf sitting across from Legolas.

"He has been disabled by an Orc arrow, Lady Aeriela," said Legolas with an assured smile. "He will be unable to serve for a month, no less."

Aeriela nodded.

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Eve cursed to herself again and again as she crawled at an upward slant through the dark tunnel towards the light. Apparently, this route wasn't taken often. She was covered in an algae-like substance and more than one spider web had gotten caught in her hair. The only way it could get worse was if she ran into a rat. The light was only a few feet away as she belly-crawled her way through the vent. She could already hear voices.

"I have called you hear today to—"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"—discuss the ever-growing problem with the goblins. They have invaded what we have set aside as neutral zones again and again, killing innocent humans and arousing suspicion. More people are dying every day. We cannot allow this to go on," said an elderly-looking Elf at the end of the table as he stood up. His robe was faded and covered with the symbols of Rivendell, a city lost long ago.

"Lord Elrond, the goblins number us a thousand to one when considering their global numbers, not to mention the threat of the Orcs. You can't honestly expect us to fight them!" exclaimed Garuend. "Be sensible about this!"

Lord Elrond narrowed his eyes at the other Elf. "Garuend, you are my peer in age but obviously not in the wisdom of war. If we do not take care of the goblin problem while it is small, it will grow into something too immense for even the humans to take care of. We do not want another fiasco such as the one with the Ring of Power."

"That was the fault of the race of men! If Isildur had destroyed the ring when given the chance then the Elves would've never had to get involved," argued Thridus, Garuend's business partner and close friend.

"But this problem, my friends, is one of _just_ the Elves. The humans have no idea this is going on, therefore we have no reason to let them be murdered!" said Elrond. "Stop thinking of yourself! This issue is beyond just us."

"Just like the issue of the Ring? Lord Elrond, you were there. You lived through those dark times and fought Sauron yet you still have not learned from it! It should be every race for itself!" shouted Garuend, earning many murmurs of agreement.

"Why don't we ask King Legolas what he thinks of the situation. After all, he is the only remaining member of the Fellowship," suggested Aeriela in an effort to calm Garuend and Elrond's arguing. "And the only one here who took part in the 'fiasco' of the Ring."

The Council turned to Legolas, who was sipping his wine silently.

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Eve surveyed the scene. There were nine people sitting at the table, and there was one empty seat. They all wore colorful robes marked with different symbols, like the robes she had seen nobles wear in old medieval movies, but just a little bit different than that… these robes were longer, had no fur, of a tighter fit than the billowy robes of medieval aristocracy, and were of a fabric that looked like it was made from intertwined hair or fine wool.

But the one thing that was driving her absolutely nuts was the fact that not one person in that room wasn't wearing a crown. Golden crowns, silver crowns, and ivory/pearl crowns laden with colorful gems and diamonds. And Chris's hair was LONG whereas it had obviously been short when she last saw him. It was making her curiosity meter hit the roof to the point where she was just about ready to show herself.

Her attention was caught as the old man with the largest crown stood up.

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"My friends… My peers… my family. We have argued amongst ourselves for far too long and King Legolas is obviously tired. Come, feast with me and we shall talk of better times. The goblins can wait. For now, we feast!" He raised his goblet. "To Rivendell, Mirkwood, and Lothlórien… may the souls of those who once resided there have a peaceful afterlife!"

"To the kingdoms!" said the gathered Elves, raising their goblets as well. They then began to eat, all worries momentarily washed aside as they laughed and talked amongst themselves not about stock exchanges or the Enron scandal… but of times past and times to come.

"Lord Elrond, you cannot surely say that Rivendell's fall was not the fault of the Ring itself," said Dimitri, a noble of ancient Lothlórien.

"It was many years after the Ring was destroyed that Rivendell fell. I in no way defend the Ring, but we cannot blame all our problems on the One Ring," reasoned Elrond. "My people left Rivendell's shores for reasons all their own."

Down the table:

"King Legolas, you have not eaten a bite," said Aeriela with a kind smile. "Is something on our mind?"

"My partner was almost killed by the Orcs and I was unable to save him. Yes, something is bothering me," said Legolas with a tired sigh. "I am old, Queen Aeriela, more so than most of the Elves here but Elrond, Garuend, and Thridus. My tired bones long for the demise of The Goblins, but I fear my heart shall not live to see the day."

"Your heart, King Legolas?"

Legolas smiled wearily. "You are so young, Aeriela, many thousands of years younger than I. Your heart is left untainted by the Dark Age, your mind naïve to the horrible powers of the One Ring and the Fellowship's quest to Mordor. I have seen all other eight members of the Fellowship wither and die. I have found true love but twice. My heart has not truly beat in many long years... I fear that my soul and heart will die, leaving me with a body but without conscience, like my father. If that should happen, I might as well let myself be killed so I should not live to see anymore of these dark times."

Aeriela reached across and put her fair hand over his large, callused one. "King Legolas, you will not become like your father. The goblins drove him to madness and his heart was not as strong as yours. You are a very noble Elf, my King, and no matter how the thunder claps and the lightning flashes, the storm clouds will not wash you away with the rain. I'd bet my life on it."

Legolas gave her a thankful grin. "I should hope so, Aeriela. I should hope so."

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They feasted for three hours, servant Elves constantly bringing out more food, before they again got into the discussion about the goblins and Orcs. Elrond pleasantly noted that Elves tended to be in a better mood after they were fed and had warmed up to the idea of defending the men against the goblins.

"King Legolas, son of Thandruil, late King of Mirkwood, the Council now turns to you for wisdom, as you were part of the Fellowship and walked away alive from a fight against almost all of Middle Earth, controlled by Sauron. Isengard, Mordor, Moria… all fighting against you yet you prevailed. Please, share with us your views," said Elrond, bowing his head to Legolas. The rest of the Council did the same.

Legolas looked at each member of the Council, blue eyes filled with remorse and anguish. He stood.

"Members of the Ancient Council, oldest and wisest of all the Elves left after the Great Devastation three thousand years ago… I address you with deep sorrow and regret, for I had hoped that our lives would not come to this." He sighed. "That our lives would not come to the point where we must choose total annihilation of us or of another race in its entirety. We must not be quick to deal judgment, for it is mostly the Orcs who color outside the lines, not the goblins."

"King Legolas!" bellowed Thrupolan, a distant relative of Legolas's and his political rival. After Legolas, Thrupolan was highest in rank of the Mirkwood Elves… or what was left of them. "You cannot be saying that we should show these savages mercy!"

"That is exactly what I am saying," said Legolas calmly. "These goblins are slaves to the Orcs… they live underground, hiding from the sun even though human blood now flows through their veins and they are able to move in the light. When they emerge, the slightest light, even artificial, burns their skin, their eyes, unless the Orcs give them protection, such as sunscreen… they are victim to the will of the wielder of light, and that is how the Orcs want it."

"Thrupolan is right, Legolas," said Garuend, shaking his head. "We cannot show mercy to the very incarnates of evil! It would be like rewarding the wolf who has killed off your entire flock of sheep! They are half the reason for the Great Devastation!"

"And the race men are the other half of the reason yet you do not hunt them down like game birds and slaughter them without a shred of mercy, do you?!" roared Legolas, moving towards Garuend. "Why is that, Garuend?!"

Garuend looked down, unable to provide a good answer.

"Listen to me, all of you!" shouted Legolas. "I fought all of Mordor; the Dark Lord, Isengard and its Uruk-Hai warriors! And I lived! I prevailed! Yet you do not listen to my words now! Gollum, the very creature Frodo Baggins wished Bilbo Baggins had killed when given the chance… Bilbo showed Gollum mercy that most would not and because of Gollum, the One Ring and the Dark Lord are no more."

"You do not simply decide to wage war on the Orcs themselves," said Thrupolan, rubbing his temples. "They are… poisonous beings. Their breath is filled with disease and death, their blood riddled with natural venoms. Against the goblins, we would prevail… but the Orcs are intelligent, agile, and guarded by thousands of goblins, whom we will have to kill whether or not we want to. Not with a thousand Elves could you do this. It is better to just pick of the goblins until the Orcs are left alone and then finish them off."

Legolas smiled. "Ah, dear Thrupolan, my friend… you utter the same words that Boromir once did in the Council of Elrond. Yet you were not there. You do not have the same genuine passion behind your voice that he once did. For that reason, I cannot and shall not take your words as seriously as I did Boromir's."

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'Score!' thought Eve happily as she watched Chris… or was it Legolas?… tell off the smaller, uglier Elf sitting a few feet away from him. She then felt an involuntary wave of anger that confused her. He didn't _have_ to tell her all his secrets, did he? They had known each other for two days and by the looks of this 'Council,' he hadn't told many about his alter ego. Still… he could've at least told her the truth when she had asked.

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"Lord Elrond, please, consider my proposal. We should go after the Orcs directly, only killing the goblins as necessary, not commit mass murder; genocide!" said Legolas, turning to the old Elf. "They were once Elves like us!"

"Mass murder is the crime they committed against us," reasoned Elrond. "I do not see why we should show them any more sympathy than they showed us."

Legolas stopped his pacing and fully turned around to face Lord Elrond, leader of the Council, the oldest living Elf on Earth… and the one he least expected to counter his words. It was like the only pillar holding him up these thousands of years had finally crumbled.

"King Legolas, your words may seem like wisdom, but to spare the goblins is to spare those who have no idea what mercy is," said the old Elf gently. "Putting them out of their misery is the best thing we can do for them."

"To commit genocide against them because they did it to us would make us no better than they. As I said, they were once Elves like us. To kill them with the cover excuse that it puts them out of their misery is just plain childish, Elrond," said Legolas quietly. "And if you expect me to take in part in it, I'm afraid you will be very disappointed. I am not a barbarian nor am I daft about the ways of the enemy."

"We are not insinuating that you are daft, Legolas!" said Elrond, raising his voice a bit. "But it is the choice of the Council that we shall destroy the goblins once and for all."

"You did not take a vote," said Legolas through clenched teeth. "You are required by the New Laws to hold a poll."

Lord Elrond shook his head, stood, and said, "All those in favor of waging war against the Goblins?"

Every Elf in the room but Aeriela and Legolas raised their right hand.

"All those opposed?"

Legolas and Aeriela raised their hands.

"It is settled by the popular vote. We declare war against the goblins," said Elrond, giving Legolas a sympathetic glance. "And after we destroy them, we will go after the Orcs, whom should be vulnerable without the goblins to back them."

"Tell me, friend… when did the great Elrond abandon reason for madness?" asked Legolas, quoting the late Gandalf. "Fine, fight your wanton war. If you should lose, do not come crawling to me with pleas of redemption and relief."

"Will you help us, King Legolas?" asked Elrond tentatively. "I may be foolish to even think it and I know you have already told me off, but there is no harm in hoping."

Legolas stared at Elrond a long while before quietly replying, "I will help you, but only to an extent."

"What's that?" asked Garuend with a scoff. "You wish to be in charge of the army's kitchen duty?" He and Thrupolan sniggered amongst themselves.

Legolas turned to them and narrowed his eyes. "I want to be in charge of Seattle's defensive lines. We cannot attack without being attacked and we will need to defend ourselves."

"Done," said Elrond, letting out a long, relieved breath. "The Council—"

He was not able to finish his sentence before there was a loud 'POP' and something large fell out of the vent above them.

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Eve didn't know what happened. One moment, she was leaning against the vent cover to get a better look at the people at the table below her, the next she was lying on her back looking up at the man called 'Lord Elrond.' She gasped for air, but none came into her lungs and she began to choke.

"She needs air," said the one called Dimitri. "Someone help her!"

Eve felt her body going limp from lack of oxygen as a beautiful young woman came to kneel next to her. She recognized her as 'Aeriela,' the only member of 'the Council' to take Legolas's side in the argument.

"The rib is bent against the lung," said the female Council member, feeling Eve's forehead with her hand. "We need Elirin, now. Someone go get her!"

Eve's dark eyes swiveled around in their sockets for Chris, but her vision was beginning to blur and she was unable to decipher the faces of the people around her. Then, she heard his smooth voice, soft in her ear…

"Hold on, Eve. Hold on."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something was tickling her nose. Eve swatted it away, but a firm hand caught her wrist before she could. Eve's eyes opened. As her vision cleared, she looked up into the gorgeous face of Aeriela.

"Your wound is not serious, it should heal soon," she said without smiling, though her eyes were gentle. "You are very lucky you didn't fracture your skull."

Eve raised her head and looked around. "Where am I?"

"You are in Chris's house."

"Chris? Don't you mean Legolas, Aeriela?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. My name is Nicki Reynolds. I am an old friend of Chris's from college."

Eve shook her head. "No, your name is Aeriela. I saw you at the Council with all those other people. Garuend, Elrond, Legolas, Thrupolan…"

'Nicki' put a finger to Eve's lips. "You hit your head pretty hard and bruised a few ribs when you tripped in the hospital parking lot. Chris has an insane fear of hospitals so he brought you back here and asked me to take a look. I'm a part-time nurse."

"So I dreamed it all?" asked Eve, putting a hand to her forehead. "I couldn't have dreamed up something like that. It was too real."

"I think you have a mild concussion. You need to rest."

"No, I have to see Chris! Where is he?" Against Nicki's wishes, she rose from the bed and pushed past the woman determinedly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve wandered through Chris's house in absolute awe. This wasn't merely a _house_. This was surely a castle! Every hall was lined with door after door, made of dark oak with bookshelves in between. The books on the shelves—leather-bound with gold lettering—were faded and aged, covered in dust. She recognized only a handful of the titles, and then there were those with strange markings on them, sort of like hieroglyphics but more closely related to some kind of ancient alphabet. It both confused and impressed her.

The floor was covered in one long, dark red rug that seemed to be showing her the way—much like the Yellow Brick Road. She didn't know why she followed it or how she had found it… just that her mind was urging her to go this way. The wood creaked under her bare feet and she cringed, feeling like the sound would cause the walls to come crashing down on her at any moment.

After what seemed like an eternity but in truth had only been a few minutes, Eve came to the end of the hall. There, there was a great door decorated elaborately with the foreign marking she had seen on the books. Underneath the markings was what she assumed to be a translation:

_One Ring to_ _rule them_ _all_

_One Ring_ _to_ _find them_

_One Ring_ _to_ _bring them all,_

_And in the_ _darkness bind_ _them_

She subconsciously winced as a pang of dread hit her heart from just reading those foreboding words. Her hands suddenly became very cold and she rubbed them against her arms in an attempt to warm them up. Taking one more look at the dark words, she grabbed the door lever and opened the door.


	4. Crawling in the Dark

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.

****

**Storm** **Clouds**

By

Brin__

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 4: Crawling in** **the** **Dark**

Eve opened the door and she was instantly assaulted with loud music being played as loud as humanly possible. She covered her ears.

_"…and_ _I wish I_ _could know_

_The directions that I take_

_And all the choices that I make_

_Are they all for nothing?_

_Show me what_ _it's for_

_Make me understand it_

_I've been crawling in the dark_

_Looking for the answer_

_Is there something more_

_Than what_ _I've been handed…"_

Eve spotted the stereo a few feet inside the room against the wall. She moved towards it to turn down the volume to a more… manageable level, then something else caught her eye. Her jaw dropped.

Chris was jogging on a treadmill wearing only a pair of black shorts and a sweatband over his ears. His legs pumped tirelessly, muscles bulging and beads of perspiration running from his face to his chest to his six-pack abs. He was concentrating on the music, obviously trying to ignore any and all pain he could be feeling from his workout… and he was _singing_.

Eve swooned as she heard his smooth voice reached her ears over the loud music.

"… Help me carry on. Surely it's okay to use my heart and not my eyes to navigate the darkness," he sang, his voice not quite like the leader singer's but very fitting for the song nonetheless. "Will I ever get to see the ending to my story?"

Eve leaned against the wall and watched him jog, her mind melting into mush. Okay, she had a crush on him. She admitted it. But he was just too…'emotionally unavailable' for her tastes. No harm in admiring him (and his sweet voice), though. She was content to just stand there collecting flies in her mouth, but by some miracle Chris heard her over the music and flipped off the stereo, his treadmill coming to a slow halt. He stood there, not facing her, for about three seconds before turning around.

"Eve. You're awake," he said simply.

The young woman felt suddenly very uncomfortable. "Uh… yeah."

"Was Nicki there when you woke up?"

"Yeah. Who is she?"

"An old friend. From college."

"Uh huh… and who is Elrond?"

Chris looked confused. Convincingly confused. "El…rond?"

"The old guy at that Council you were at where they all called you 'King Legolas,'" said Eve bluntly, growing irritated. "What, you're going to lie to me again?"

Something flashed over Chris's eyes, only to fade away. "Are you accusing me of lying to you?" he asked, his voice still calm and collected.

"No, I'm _telling_ you that you lied to me!" growled Eve, taking a step forward. "You coward! Are you afraid that I'm going to run around telling everyone your stupid little 'secret'? Gee, thanks, Chris, it's good to know that you hold me on such high accounts," she snapped sarcastically.

Chris shook his head. "You've obviously suffered trauma from your head injury. You need to rest, Eve."

Eve backed away from him angrily. "Fine. Don't tell me. I'm leaving." She turned and ran out the door.

"I wouldn't do that, Eve," he called, not bothering to follow her just yet. "This castle has many secrets and the forest around it holds even more."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve ran down the corridor and found herself back at the room where she had left Nicki behind. She threw open the door and was pleased to find it empty. Running over to the window, she yanked it open and looked down.

"What the hell?!"

She was at least four stories high, looking down at a thick forest that stretches for miles, ending just at the edge of the horizon. Immediately under her window was a balcony for what she assumed to be a third story room. Since she had no idea where the front door was, she made a decision to climb down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aeriela entered Legolas's room and looked around. "Is she here?"

Legolas, who was wiping sweat from his face, shook his head. "Nope. She ran out of here not too long ago."

"And you let her go?" asked the young queen in confusion.

"She won't get far, believe me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve landed with a loud 'umph!' on the second story roof. She got up and stumbled, almost falling right off the building. The rain had made the shingles slippery, so this time she carefully rose to her feet and looked around. The first story had a covered porch that she could jump on, but it was directly underneath the section of roof that she was standing on at the moment so it wouldn't do her much good. She continued to look around. The castle walls were covered in ivy that stretched tall and wide… a light bulb went on in her head. She carefully edged to the wall and grabbed some vines, tying them together like a primitive rope.

"Okay…let's see if any of that Tarzan talent my brother's got rubbed off…" Holding the makeshift rope tightly, she jumped off the roof and hung there, dangling about forty feet off the ground. The rope didn't snap (for which she was very grateful) and she began to slowly lower herself downward.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas pulled a clean white tunic over his head and looked at himself in the mirror. To most, he appeared about twenty-three, his face still young and fresh. But to himself… he looked withered and worn, much like a flower without water and sunshine. He was paler than he used to be, his movements stiffer and more forced than all those years ago when he had traveled with the Fellowship. His hair, once the proud bright blonde of the Silver Elves, had lost some of its color, reluctantly giving way to the brownish tone of the Rivendell Elves from age and the lack of sunlight due to the fact that he had to wear a hat at all times to hide his ears from the Men. Then… that scar that went down the right side of his face. He fingered it idly, remembering who gave it to him… Thranduil…

"Why do you fear the future? All that lies in the future is choices and questions. You have lived long enough to make the right choice and find answers to the questions."

Legolas turned around to find Aeriela standing there, her fair faced comforting. "I think a better question would be why I fear the past," Legolas mumbled, rubbing a wet cloth over his forehead. "And the answer to that… is beyond me."

Aeriela slowly and gracefully moved forward, placed her hand on his back. "Your heart is troubled, Son of Thranduil, King of the fallen kingdom of Mirkwood."

Legolas cringed as she mentioned his father's name. "And yours is very young, Aeriela, Daughter of Eotune, Queen of what once was the fledgling kingdom of Rewyn. Your eyes do not see and will not seen what mine have… and for that I am very grateful." He turned around and gently touched her cheek. "Do not let my despair trouble your heart." A short pause. "Come, I suspect we will have a prisoner on our hands soon."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve slowly climbed down the rope all the way to the ground, where she stopped for a moment and looked back up at the window of the castle before running off into the forest without a second thought. She ran for about ten minutes before she tired and stopped to catch her breath. "God… how big is this place?" she panted, looking around in dismay. She had been heading in one direction, but… what if she was going at an angle? What if the exit was just a few meters to the right but twenty meters to the left? She dragged her hand down her face and sighed. "Okay… focus."

SNAP.

Eve's head whipped around at the sound. Something moved in the trees, then disappeared. Slowly rising to her feet, she started walking again. A raven cawed and flew out of a tall tree, followed by several other birds. Eve walked faster. She could now hear footsteps behind her, moving quickly and almost silently across the ground. The young woman picked up her pace to a jog. Soon, she took off at a dead run as her unseen pursuer's footsteps increased considerably. She glanced backwards, then turned around and—

"AAH!!" screamed Eve, skidding to a halt and falling back onto her butt as she came face to face with a tall, imposing man. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

The man standing above her said nothing. He had long blonde hair pulled into a loose ponytail and a cleanly-shaven face. In his hand he held a nasty-looking knife.

"If you don't go away… I'll… I'll…"

"You'll what?" he interrupted, his voice full of dislike. "Beat me to death with a flower?"

Eve glared at him. "Look, buddy, you have no right to keep me here and…" She was cut short by the feel of cold steel against her throat. "Never mind." Her brown eyes wandered upward to see three new men, all similarly armed, scowling down at her.

"Bound her and bring her to King Legolas. He might want to keep this one," growled one of the men, pulling out a rope. "Don't struggle."

Eve kicked him in the crotch. "Bite me!"

The men gathered around her now, knives drawn. One hit her across the face, knocking her out cold. "That was very, very unwise," he said as they picked her up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas stood with his arms crossed as the prisoner was thrown before him wearing tattered clothes and covered in grime. He shook his head and wearily let out a deep breath to calm himself.

"She was sneaking around the Western border!" said the guard, pulling back the prisoner's hair so that she looked up at the king.

Legolas wasn't surprised to see Eve staring up at him with a guilty face. "Hi, Legolas, buddy… friend," she said with a nervous smile, then bit her lip and gave him a pleading look.

"How did you know his true name? And anyway, that's _King_ Legolas to you, Woman!" growled the guard, raising his hand to hit her.

Legolas stopped him by raising his own hand. "Please, Therun." He laced his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels, a smile pulling at his lips. "So… what will be done to her if I do not pardon her?"

"Sir, you know perfectly well what—"

"Humor me," interrupted the king firmly but quietly.

Therun shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Since she tried to escape the castle without permission and knows of your true name, she will be thrown into the dungeons to wither and die along with the other humans who've come too deep into these parts and violated the Elven laws."  
  


"And what else?" asked Legolas, noting how Eve flinched at Therun's words.

"She fought us when we tried to bring her to you. That is a direct opposition of the New Laws, which state that no prisoner shall harm a Royal Guard unless the Guard is believed to be planning a betrayal of their Sovereign and the prisoner feels he or she can save the Sovereign by his or her acts of violence. And, as you know, my Liege, I would throw myself onto my own sword before I would betray you," said Therun, saluting Legolas.

"Of course, Therun," said the king, smiling amusedly at the look of sheer terror upon Eve's face. "Please, continue."

Therun bowed then straightened up. "Breaking one of the New Laws as a prisoner is a serious offense. She will be beaten, manacled, and left to die. The remaining Elven Kings and Queens cannot afford defiant prisoners whom kill their soldiers."

Legolas cocked his head at Eve. "So, Eve, shall I pardon you from this fate?" Eve hung her head but didn't say anything. Therun and the other guards looked to Legolas anxiously as the king sighed and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Release her."

"But sir—"

Legolas stopped him with an irritated look. "I said release her, Therun. She is to be granted safe passage to the Gates."

Therun sighed and broke her bounds with his knife. "It is done, my Sovereign."

"Good. Now, leave us," he ordered, his voice full of authority. The guards bowed, saluted, and left.

Legolas led Eve to the front door of the castle and handed her some clothes. "Your clothes have been confiscated and burnt so my guards can make sure no Goblin fumes are on you. These are from Aeriela. They may be a little small on you, for she is a woman both short and delicate."

Eve accepted the outfit, her eyes downcast. "I… I didn't…Are you…?"

Legolas held up his hand, halting her words. "Please, Eve. I don't want to throw you in the dungeon. Don't ask me this."

"No, I need to now." She paused and took a deep breath. "Are you… are you an Elf?"

"You tread dangerous waters with your words, Daughter of Gondor," interrupted Aeriela as she entered the room. "I suggest you do not ask again."

Legolas nodded in agreement. "Aeriela is right. If you know too much…it puts you in trouble with the Goblins… they already have you on their hostile list. Have no memory of this place. Please, just go. Go, and never come back. Never, ever come back." He pointed down a dirt road. "Run!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve dressed in the middle of nowhere behind a tree after leaving Chris/Legolas's property. The clothes were much to small for her, but luckily they were stretchable and she was able to roll the pants up into Capri's so she looked ordinary enough. Her shirt was a bit too tight around the shoulders, but not too much so.

The dirt road that had led her from his 'castle' to the edge of his property (which, by the way, was a huge stone wall extending at least fifty feet in the air with a giant iron gate) continued past there and she walked along it until she came to a concrete road. About a mile down she spotted a gas station and jogged all the way there.

Eve went up to the payphone and dialed her home phone number (of course, after dialing 1-800-COL-LECT). The phone rang twice before:

"Hello, you've reached the number you've dialed. Leave a message after the beep. And if this is Eve, please call 555-5995." BEEP.

Eve shook her head and dialed the new number.

"Hullo?" mumbled a sleepy Trent.

"Hey there buddy, what's up?" said Eve, smiling to herself.

"Eve? Eve, damn! Where have you been?" asked Trent, his voice growing irritated. "You have been gone for two days!"

"Sorry, sorry. I've been a little… preoccupied," she said with a tired sigh. "Look, I'm stuck at a gas station with _no_ money and _no_ car. Come and get me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve and Trent arrived home around 5:00. The Seattle Police Department had given them a nice condo as a temporary living space until they were sure their old house was secure again. As soon as she got home, Eve jumped in the shower and stayed in there for about three whole hours before the water began to run cold. After that, she quickly got dressed and borrowed Trent's truck. She had questions and was going to get answers, whether Chris liked it or not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Pinewood library had been running for as long as Eve could remember. She had never actually gone into it, but as a child she could remember driving by it every day on her way to school. It was a comforting sight, but now she needed it for more… objective reasons.

DING went the door as she opened it. She was instantly assaulted with the musty smell of old, leather-bound books and decaying wood. The room was filled to the ceiling with row after crumbling row of faded books. Dust covered almost everything in sight, and whenever Eve moved too much a cloud of it would rise up into the air and fill her mouth with a bitter taste, much like pine.

"Hello there," called a voice that was strangely familiar to Eve. "Can I help you?"

Eve moved forward into the sea of books. "Um… I'm looking for a book."

"Well, that's obvious. That's why you go to bookstores, isn't it?"

"Yeah, well, I don't know exactly what I'm looking for."

"Really? You've come to the right place, then."

  
Eve saw a person behind one of the shelves and slowly walked towards them. "I… I need a book on old legends, myths, stories… that sort of thing. And it has to be really old, too. None of that urban legends stuff." She peeked around the corner of the shelf to see an old man wearing spectacles sitting there, reading a book that looked like it had seen better days once upon a time. A gasp escaped her lips as the man looked up at her. "You're… you're Elrond. Lord Elrond."

Something akin to fear flashed behind the old man's eyes, but otherwise he looked more shocked than anything. "Excuse me? You must be mistaken, my name is Arthur Pinewood. I've owned this place for thirty years."

Eve shook the thoughts from her head. "Okay, never mind."

Arthur closed his book, causing a cloud of dust to arise as he did, and put it back on the shelf. "So… you want a book on legends and myths." He stood up. "You must be more specific, child. Greek mythology? Roman mythology? Scandinavian mythology? Legends such as Daniel Boone? Legends such as those of the Native Americans?"

Eve thought a moment, trying to recall anything she had learned while sleeping through history class. "Um… what about stuff on Elves? And not Santa's Elves… I mean, like, the kind of Elves real legends mention."

Arthur smiled. "Elves, you say? I've got just the thing." He bounded off, darting through the shelves with the agility of a careless teen and soon returned holding a thick leather book. "This will tell you all you need to know of the Elves. Enjoy." With that, he disappeared into the jungle of books once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve located a table and spread the heavy book out. There was already a page marked in it, so she opened to that page… and instantly knew she was in way over her head. The book was not written in English, but in some strange language that was both strange and yet familiar to her… and for some reason unknown to her, she was… able to read it. She read aloud:

"Here is inscribed the account of Thranduil, King of the fallen kingdom of Mirkwood, in the year 2201 of the Post-Devastation Age: 'My hunt for the Orcs continues. They have taken what is mine and for that reason I will never stop my search. Nothing will stand in my way, for in my left hand I hold the last remaining sword of Mirkwood… and its blade longs for the blood of Orc. But I am struck with a great pain… my son, Legolas, has decided to marry into the Race of Men, breaking the family line. I cannot sway him from his choice so therefore I may have to resort to measures taken of Old, when disputes were settled on the edge of a knife. My satire will go to ruin if I do not… and Legolas will thank me one day.'"

Eve turned the page.

"Here is inscribed the account of Legolas, Son of Thranduil, now King of the fallen Mirkwood, in the year 2202 of the Post-Devastation Age: 'My hands are dirtied with the blood of my father, whose hands took the life of my wife and child. He was out of his mind with age and the bitterness of his never-ending battles with the Orcs. I… feel no pity for him. It was well past his time to leave and join my Mother. The Council has spared me from any punishment for my deed and, had they decided I had committed treason, I would not care. I do not know pain, I do not know fear…all I know is the anguish for my lost wife and son, taken from me by my own father. There is only one thing for certain about where I shall go from here. I will hunt down the Orcs and I will finish what my father started. They will not keep what they have stolen from us.'"

Eve shut the book and looked around, her head spinning. How had she read that? A sweat bead dribbled down the side of her face and she pushed the book away… then, she noticed the markings on the spine of the book…

"No…" she whispered, her eyes translating the strange markings into words that she had seen but once before…

_One Ring to rule them all_

_One Ring to find them_

_One Ring to bring them all,_

_And in the darkness bind them._

"What the hell?" Eve gasped to herself, clapping a hand to her forehead. "This… this can't be happening…"

"Having problems, Miss?" Arthur poked his head out from behind a shelf.

Eve looked up and took a deep breath. "No, thank you. I'm fine…just fine…" Arthur shrugged and disappeared once again. Eve stared down at the book like it were going to jump to life and bite her face off…

"_Legolassssssssss_," something whispered, making her jump. "_Legolas, Legolassssssss_."

Eve stood up now, scared out of her mind… The book was talking to her.

"_Legolassssssss_," it repeated, its voice thin and raspy. "_Bring me Legolasssssss_."

"No. I can't bring you to him. You can't have him," Eve said without thinking.

"_Legolassssssss…master Legolasssssss. Eve musssst get masssster Legolassssss_."

Eve pushed the book onto the floor, wincing as it made a loud 'BOOM!' sound and ran out of the bookstore without looking back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In his castle, Legolas bolted upright from his bed, panting. "Aeriela!" he called, his voice panicked.

No more than five seconds later, Aeriela opened the door and entered, her white nightgown glowing in the moonlight. "Yes, King Legolas? What's the matter?"

"Aeriela… it's calling me. Someone has awoken it. Elrond has chosen someone to awaken the Book," Legolas panted, rubbing his hand across his face. "It's happening."

TBC…


	5. Game. Set. Match.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.

A/N: There is a part in here where Legolas has several flashbacks. Note that some of these flashbacks ARE movieverse, although I don't remember the exact words.

****

**Storm** **Clouds**

By

Brin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 5: Game,** **Set,** **Match.**

Eve didn't sleep that night. She arrived home around 9 o'clock. Trent was fast asleep in the living room with the TV on. After covering him with a blanket, she turned it off and went into her makeshift bedroom, which consisted of a mattress, a desk, a chair, a light, and her laptop. She immediately got online and went into the chat room where she got all her hints and resources.

You have entered Chat Room "1133387" 

**Eve12347: **Hey all. I need some info.

**ShadowandCape: **Wut/Who about?

**Eve12347: **I need some1 to look ^ info on CHRIS BOWMAN, a Seattle police officer, and send it to me ASAP. All his records.

**BlacknBluish5560: **Y?

**Eve12347: **Cuz it's very important 2 me. Please!

**GuyWitPasswords9999: **Okay, I'm on it.

**Eve12347:** Thanx!

Eve sat back to wait and, sure enough, in about two minutes an email popped up on her screen from **GuyWitPasswords9999**. She opened it and began reading:

Name: Chris Bowman 

_DOB: December 1, 1975_

_Birthplace: Manchester, London_

_Current Residence: Seattle, Washington_

_Occupation: Detective_

Hair: Blonde 

_Eyes: Blue_

_Height: 5'11"_

_Weight: 145_

_Medical Conditions: None_

_Medical History: N/A_

_Blood Type: AB-_

_Body Markings:_ _Tattoo of a broken arrow on left bicep_

_Crimes: Accused with suspected involvement with The Goblins, found **not guilty**._

Eve suddenly stopped reading. What?! Chris was trying to _expose_ The Goblins, wasn't he? A wave of panic washed over her. But… but there were a few things about him that still confused her… like how he had shown up at exactly the right time in The Wood. Or why he was afraid of hospitals… And what was up with his giant castle in the middle of nowhere? She began to involuntarily shake and felt nauseated. It couldn't be… No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't work _with_ The Goblins… would he?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas led Aeriela through his library, which contained even more books than his main hallway did. He went up and down the shelves, mumbling things to himself in Elvish, which was a language that Aeriela spoke only in bits and pieces despite her royal Elven blood. She caught only one familiar word, which happened to be a curse word that she didn't care to mention.

"Um, King Legolas, what exactly are you looking for?" she asked as he slid down another aisle, out of sight.

"The book Gandalf gave to me during our travels… it contains every piece of knowledge he could recover and some of his comments on the history of Middle Earth as well." He ducked farther into the maze of shelves. "I would ask Arthur, but he hasn't owned a phone since World War I and I wouldn't go down to his store right now if my very life depended on it."

"I'm afraid you must explain to me about the Book. I've heard the legends… but fact and fiction have become blended in my family," Aeriela admitted as she tried in vain to figure out where he kept darting off to.

Legolas's footsteps stopped for a split second, then he started moving back the way he came, towards Aeriela. "The Book is bound to my family through my father Thranduil, who wrote most of it… he filled it with the all his knowledge, including the history of Middle Earth and the coming of our current age, the Post-Devastation age. At the end he included his personal diary—his thoughts, his dreams, his nightmares—from the moment he learned to write to the day he died. I wrote the last entry for him." He suddenly popped out in front of Aeriela, making her yelp in surprise. "The Book is like the One Ring in the sense that it calls to me, its master, though it has no power like the Ring did."

"So… what is so special about it besides that?"

"Thranduil, in the thousands of years between the fall of Mirkwood and his death, created a new dialect of Elvish. Elrond and I are the only ones who can permanently read it."

"Permanently?"

"The Book awakens when it feels danger approaching its master, meaning me. Elrond is not bound to it, but since he has read the words inscribed in its pages he is often employed as its… messenger of sorts. He is, unconsciously of course, instructed by the Book to choose someone to awaken it. That person is temporarily gifted with the ability to read from its pages… then, he or she is to bring the Book to me." He sighed.

"Then why… why do you despair? The Book is warning you of what to come. I would see that as more of a blessing than a curse."

Legolas locked eyes with her. "Aeriela, the history of the Book delves deeper than I could ever explain. It drove my father to the point of insanity with its whispers of things that do not exist. And… and when I am near it I have no power over my mind as it invades my thoughts, my fears…" His voice trailed off and his eyes traveled from her face to the shelf directly above her. "You found it, Aeriela!" He jumped up and grabbed a book from right above her head and tucked it under his arm.

Aeriela grinned nervously.

"Come with me. I'll try to explain further." He walked at a more leisurely pace to a table in the middle of the library and opened the book and blew dust from the pages.

Aeriela looked over the text, written in Elvish. "Wow… this is… this is great!"

Legolas nodded and turned the page. "Gandalf told me that the immortal body requires immortal knowledge… this is everything he knew at the time we traveled together." He turned the page again and began to read out loud, only in Elvish. Aeriela marveled at the sound of her native tongue spoken to easily and smoothly.

Her family had briefly started their own kingdom after Rivendell was all but deserted, but they had been too close to a city of Men and the kingdom hadn't lasted long. Only her great, great, great grandfather and grandmother understood Elvish fluently, and even then their speech was clipped and broken, like sticks were in their mouths as they spoke. She envied and admired Legolas at the same time for his ability to speak their language so naturally.

Legolas continued to read for about a minute, then he stopped and looked up at Aeriela. "Do you know what it is that I said?"

Aeriela shook her head. "I was not raised in the Elven tongue as you were."

"I said," began Legolas as they both sat down, "loosely translated: 'When the days grow dark and the nights stretch like a taut bowstring, the world remembers the shift in balance when Thranduil, King of Mirkwood, began work on the Book, which contained knowledge forbidden to most and unknown by almost all save a precious few. Into this Book he poured his soul's hostility and wisdom, his words forever burning in the minds of those who read the secret text.'" He stopped and turned a few more pages. "From there on is what I have already told you… and here is where we get to the good part…"

Aeriela peeked over his shoulder.

"'In the depths of Mirkwood, Thranduil has kept the Book a secret from all but Elrond, Galadriel, and I. Even his son Legolas does not know of its existence… but that will soon change. Thranduil has bound—through blood—the Book to himself and his posterity, leaving within them the duty to learn and study the terrible knowledge inside it. Should Legolas inherit this Book, I fear his mind will fall under its spell and he shall be fated to suffer the same empty life as his father.

"'But the worst thing I know of the Book is the fact that if it falls into the wrong hands at the right time it could be the strategic key to conquering Middle Earth, for Thranduil is no fool; he knows the art of war very well and has also added in the tactics of Lórien and Rivendell… making them weak to enemy attack.

"'The Book cannot be destroyed. It's power cannot be altered or doused. It is all at once the most destructive thing on Middle Earth and the key to rebuilding a broken universe.'" Legolas stopped and closed the book. "You must remember these words, Queen Aeriela, for should I die in this war we have started, I could think of no better person to keep this knowledge from the humans."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve finally collapsed into bed around 5:00 AM, falling into a fitful sleep. Her mind was numb from worry and full of questions…

She woke up one hour later, took a cold shower, and went to school. The day seemed like a blur; the only thoughts going through her head were of Chris… Legolas… whatever his name was. Luckily, it was the last day before Winter Break. She got three weeks off to sort things out and, of course, investigate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Look, Eve, I've got to get to work. A few people have gone out sick so I'm gonna have to be working overtime a lot. Will you be okay here?" asked Trent, gathering his coat into his arms.

Eve nodded. "I'll be fine."

Trent smiled and left, making sure to lock the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Eve picked up the phone and dialed a number she had only used twice before.

"Hello?"

Eve bit her lip. "Hi, Eddie?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night was cold and bitter, the wind hitting Eve's face like knives. She shivered and hugged herself as if it would make the cold go away. She had been walking for over ten minutes now, and her toes were growing numb.

"I'm gonna kill Trent for taking the car," Eve growled through chattering teeth. It wasn't long, however, before she reached her destination: an average-sized brick house with absolutely no landscaping. She bounded up the walkway and rang the doorbell before stepping back and waiting.

The door opened a crack and a single yellow eye stared out at her. "Who is it?"

"Eve," said the young woman. "Open up." She rattled the doorknob and the door flew open immediately.

An old man with one yellow eye and one white eye stepped out and hugged Eve as tight as he could manage in his old age. "Eve! How have you been?!"

"Just fine, Eddie," she said, hugging him back. "I see you're doing well."

Eddie smiled. "As well as an old man with one eye and half a brain can do." He stepped back, allowing her to come inside. "I understand you have a few questions to ask me about a certain police officer?"

"Well…" She took a seat on his couch. "That and something else."

"Let me get you some tea," the old man said, scurrying away.

"Um… you don't have to…" Eve stopped herself and just shook her head. There was no sense in protesting.

"So," called Eddie from his small kitchen, "Fire away. I'm ready for whatever you've got." The sound of clanking pots was heard.

Eve sighed. "Well, Eddie, about a week ago I met this detective named Chris Bowman and—"

Suddenly, Eddie emerged from the kitchen, a dripping tea bag in his hand. He stared, wide-eyed at the young woman a long time. "Did you just say Chris Bowman? _The_ Chris Bowman?"

"Well, _a_ Chris Bowman."

"About six feet, blonde hair, blue eyes, sock hat?"

Eve nodded. "Yeah, that would be him."

The tea totally forgotten, Eddie came over and sank down on the couch next to a perplexed Eve. He suddenly more withered and weak than before, his eyes filling with something akin to sorrow but closer to remorse. "Eve, Chris Bowman is the very _symbol_ of disaster. You must stay away from him."

The young woman's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

Eddie took her hand and patted it with a rueful smile. "Your hands are clean, Eve… there is no blood here. Chris Bowman's hands are covered with the blood of thousands, maybe millions."

"What? How is that possible?"

"Chris Bowman is not who he seems to be. I met him sixty years ago, when I was your age," explained Eddie quietly. "He was young and ambitious man fresh out of the navy… or he seemed to be, anyway. We became good friends over the course of two years and when I started getting into politics he gave me advice that was so good I could've won over the nation and become president over night… but, as soon I started running for office he disappeared. His records and files were all gone from the national database. It was as if he never existed."

"Did you ever find him again?" asked Eve quietly.

"Yes. Unfortunately I did," replied the old man, staring off into space. "I found him half-dead on the side of the road with a three-foot spear driven right through his leg and into the ground, pinning him there. He should've died from that, but he didn't. In fact, I took him to the hospital and he got surgery, then he escaped from his room and vanished once again. Of course, I went after him and located him in an old bookstore downtown called the Pinewood library." He took a deep breath and looked at Eve solemnly. "He was reading from a book in some strange language and when he did, his body healed over. Right before my very eyes. His wounds just closed, not even leaving a scar… but whatever magic, for lack of a better word, he used had obviously drained him because he fell to the ground and remained unconscious for a week."

Eve's eyes widened. "And… and what did he do after you saw this?"

"You've seen him do something like this too, haven't you?" asked Eddie, his voice full of fear.

"I've seen him attend a council full of people with jeweled crowns. I've seen him predict the exact moment a Goblin attack is going to occur…and I've seen his castle."

Eddie gasped. "You saw his castle? And you lived?"

"Yes… why?"

"The only reason I still stand here today is because Chris trusted me. I told him I would never tell a soul unless they inquired about him directly… and I reasoned with him that no on would possibly ask something like that about him so he agreed," said the old man. "I am sorry this burden has been placed upon you."

"What burden?"

Eddie put his hand on her shoulder. "Chris is a burden within himself. His presence brings nothing but pain and unanswered questions… have you read from the Book yet?"

"The Book…?"

"In the Pinewood."

Eve's chest tightened. "Yes, yes I've read the book."

"Then danger is coming. You must get out of Seattle, Eve! If you stay here you will face the same fate as me… to be dragged into an underground war between two ancient races so powerful we can't even fathom their existence!" urged Eddie.

"No. I can't just leave because of this!" protested the young woman, standing up. "I have to stay and fight!"

Eddie hung his head, knowing there was no arguing with Eve when she set her mind to something. "Very well then."

"Look, I gotta go," said Eve, moving towards the door. "Thanks for the info." She opened the door and was about to leave, when Eddie said:

"Eve."

She stopped and turned to look at him. "What?"

"Beware of the one who wields power greater than himself."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"YAAAH!" Legolas locked swords with his sparring opponent, sparks flying everywhere from the impact. They began a test of strength, then Legolas brought his foot up and kicked his adversary in the chest, sending him reeling backwards.

"He fights like Men," commented Garuend as he watched Legolas and Therun battle. "It is shameful to watch an Elf use such tactics."

Elrond shook his head and winced a bit as Legolas punched Therun across the face with the hilt of his sword. "As long as it keeps him alive and kills the enemy, Garuend, we are in no position to criticize."

Therun recovered from Legolas's punch quickly and swung for Legolas's sword arm. Legolas stepped to one side and kicked Therun in the back of the knees, causing him to fall down, then hit him on the back of the head, rendering him unconscious.

"Impressive, Legolas," called Elrond. "It's been awhile since you've wielded a sword."

Legolas opened his mouth to say something, but a twig snapped behind him and he clamped his jaw shut. Elrond and Garuend, who hadn't heard it, looked at him strangely.

"What's wrong, King Legolas?" asked Garuend with a hint of a sneer in his voice.

Legolas smirked at him, then did a back flip and landed right behind the goblin who had been trying to ambush them. The goblin screamed and began to turn around, but as soon as it did—

THHHLCK!

Elrond and Garuend both cringed as the goblin's lifeless, bloody body hit the ground… and then its head.

"You were saying, Elrond?" asked Legolas, wiping his sword on the ground.

"I was saying," began Lord Elrond, shooting Garuend a smirk, "that it has been awhile since you've fought with the sword, but you have lost _none_ of your touch."

Legolas nodded and stepped over the body. "I do my best."

Garuend crossed his arms over his chest. "How did that goblin get in here? You said your grounds were safe!"

"I told my guards to let one through," said Legolas with a shrug.

"Why would you do that?!"

"Because I can't fight my own guards to the death, now can I?" reasoned the blonde Elf as he sheathed his sword. "And I needed to see if my resolve to kill is still as fresh as it was thousands of years ago."

Elrond sighed and looked up at Legolas's huge castle. "Where is Aeriela? She said she'd be present."

Legolas walked over to his two elder Elves. "She said she had some business to attend to and will be back later. Come, we have much to talk about and very little time to do so."

"What do you mean?" asked Garuend, crossing his arms over his chest. "In case you have forgotten, King Legolas, we are immortal and have all the time in the world."

Legolas looked at Garuend for a long time, his eyes scrutinizing. When Garuend finally began to squirm under Legolas's intense gaze, Legolas spoke: "After living so long and through so much, it is easy to tell when you are about to die. There is a shadow of doom growing in my mind, and it tells me my end is near. Do you not feel that, Garuend?"

Garuend shook his head.

"Well then…I guess you are less perceptive than I thought."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Beware the one who wields power greater than himself," Eve repeated for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes. She was sitting on her couch, deep in thought. "What the hell could he mean by that?" A few more minutes passed before:

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.

Eve's head jerked up. She stared at the door as if it were going to jump to life and bit her head off. "Who's there?" she called nervously.

"It's Nicki. Eve, it's imperative that I speak with you."

Rising from the couch, Eve undid the deadbolt and opened the door tentatively. "What are you doing here?"

Nicki looked around to make sure no one was watching and entered the room. "Eve, were you the one to awaken the book?"

"What?"

"Eve, were you at the Pinewood library today?"

"Yes."

"Did you read from a book with strange writing?"

Eve hesitated a moment before quietly answering, "I did."

Nicki looked down at the ground. "Eve, what I have come here to do could get me exiled for all eternity, but I am willing to do it."

"What? Why?"

Nicki raised her eyes and stared into Eve's. "I am here to tell you all you wish to know about me, Legolas, and all the others." She licked her lips nervously. "The only reason I take this chance is because Legolas, or Chris as you know him, is in danger. That is why the Book has been awakened. And because you are the one who awoke it, you are the only one who can help him now."

Eve gulped. "Danger?"

"The Elves have waged war against the goblins. King Legolas is leading the defense, meaning any attack on our grounds will be met with a counter-attack from him."

"So you _are_ an Elf," whispered Eve. "Please, sit down!"

Nicki nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing her ears completely. Eve gasped. They were not big, floppy ears as seen in Christmas cartoons, but delicately carved into a triangular shape. "You are wise and cunning beyond your ears, Daughter of Gondor. Not many discover our secret so quickly or so easily." She took a seat on Eve's couch, Eve quickly following.

Eve resisted the urge to touch Nicki's ears. "Wow this is… this is amazing, Nicki!" She paused long enough to frown. "But wait… is your real name Aeriela?"

"You may call me Aeriela if you wish, but in public I am always Nicki." Aeriela got down on her knees and bowed her head. "Daughter of Gondor, I ask one thing of you."

"What?"

"I, Queen Aeriela of the fallen kingdom of Deerwood, ask of you, Eve, Daughter of Gondor, to help me save the life of King Legolas of the fallen Mirkwood, by aiding me in persuading him not to fight in this war."

Eve's eyes widened. "Me? Why me? You're his girlfriend!"

Aeriela laughed. "His girlfriend? Eve, is that what you think?"

Eve shrugged, feeling like a foolish child as the blood rushed to her cheeks for shouting out something like that as if she had no manners. What business did she have in Chris's personal affairs, after all? Even as her mind reasoned this, however, a wave of jealously washed over her as she remembered how Aeriela and Legolas had talked so long and so emotionally with each other at that secret Council.

The Elf smiled and stood up. "King Legolas is like a brother to me and our age difference exceeds ten thousand years."

"Oh come on!" protested the young woman, eyes twinkling mischievously. "Don't tell me you haven't ever had a crush on him. I mean, he's pretty cute…"

Aeriela chuckled. "Once, three hundred years ago, Legolas and I were together." She looked down at her hands and her smile faded. "I remember it perfectly. We had just won a small war with a group of especially rebellious goblins who were destroying parts of New England, where we resided at the time. Legolas was so happy; happier than I had ever seen him. His father, Thranduil, was there and they were like best friends. We had known each other for about ten years by then. He asked me to dance and literally swept me off my feet. He's always been a charmer…"

Eve felt her heart tighten as Aeriela paused for a long while. "And?"

"And a few months later his ship disappeared at sea." She smiled ruefully. "He has always, always loved the sea. It's been like an obsession for him… but, anyway, the reports came in that he had hit a hurricane and his ship had sunk. It was one hundred years before I ever saw him again."

"How did he survive?"

Aeriela sighed and nibbled on her lip before replying: "He floated ten miles back to land, somewhere in Canada, and was caught up in some French war. After that, he wasn't allowed to return to New England because he had betrayed the French in an attempt to escape to New England."

Eve shook her head and patted Aeriela's hand. "You must've been heartbroken."

"I still had a piece of him with me. Two pieces, actually." She smiled. "One lock of his hair and his son, Chris."

Eve suddenly felt faint. She smacked her hand to her forehead. "His… you… you had his son?!" _Oops_, she thought, _another invasion of privacy there, you idiot!_

Aeriela guiltily stared down at her feet, a blush creeping up her neck. "Yes, I did. But," tears began to form in her eyes, "Young Chris drowned when he was accidentally knocked unconscious and fell into the water. He was age five in human terms when it happened."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Chris's death took its toll on us both. Legolas became a different man; colder, harder, and distrusting. We cancelled our engagement and became nothing more than friends as if nothing had happened between us. We have not even discussed our son's death since he died. So you see… the time for Legolas and me has been and gone."

Eve considered this carefully. "I—I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't. It's okay to be curious, Eve, and I have developed enough patience in my lifetime to endure anything." She smiled. "But be careful. Legolas's charm can be used two ways: 1) to get what he wants and 2) to prevent himself from being put into uncomfortable or stressful situations."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was the last Council to be held before the Elves declared war on the goblins. There were delegates from every Elven bloodline present, plus a few special guests…

"Welcome, Madoc Baggins, Drogo Brandybuck, Meriadoc Gamgee, and Bungo Took, to the House of Legolas in what remains of the fallen Mirkwood," said Elrond, bowing his head as the four hobbits entered.

Legolas stared at the halfings intently, his eyes wide. They were the mirror images of the four hobbits who had traveled in the Fellowship, though a bit taller by necessity and obviously not quite as naïve of the terrors of the world as their ancestors. There were exactly three hundred seventy-three hobbits left in the world, most of them living in small farming or fishing towns in the more uninhabited parts of the world.

"Thank you for inviting us," said Madoc, shaking Legolas's hand. "Your story has been passed down for many generations, King Legolas. I hope you can tell us the truth about my ancestor, Frodo Baggins, for fact has become fiction and fiction has become fact over the years."

"Of course, Mr. Baggins," said Legolas, trying not to show emotion though his heart was unwillingly bringing back images of Frodo Baggins, causing tears to try and spring to his eyes… but, after thousands of years of practice, he easily got his emotions in check and put on a straight face.

The four hobbits sat down just as the door was opened and three more figures entered the room. Some of the older Elves visibly tensed.

"Welcome Oin, Balin, and Gimli, descendents of the Dwarf heroes bearing the same names," Elrond said, showing them to their seats at the circular table Legolas had set up in his library.

"King Legolas! It is because of your treaties that relations between Elves and Dwarves haven't worsened to warlike measures! We thank you!" rumbled Gimli, shaking the blonde Elf's hand before sitting down.

Everyone sat in silence for a few moments, then Elrond did something that surprised everyone in the room. He stood, looked at Legolas, and said, "Well, King Legolas, do you assume I will conduct every Council held for all eternity?"

Legolas stared at Lord Elrond, eyes full of shock. "Excuse me?"

"I have been the leader of every Council since the one which decided the fate of the One Ring, and you have come to assume I will continue to do this for the next twenty thousand years. But this is the day I retire from my roll as head Elf, Legolas… and I appoint you my successor."

The room was silent.

"Surely, Lord Elrond, you can't be serious about this decision!" protested Garuend, jumping to his feet. "King Legolas is not fit to have a position of this much power!"

"And what do you mean by that?" asked Elrond, raising his eyebrows. "Please, explain to us your view."

Garuend glared at Elrond, then Legolas. "His views will only get what is left of the Elven race annihilated! Just last week we were all opposing his proposition to kill only the leaders of the goblins, leaving the rest to live free, and now you are giving him power over all the Elven race?"

"What is done is done. King Legolas is not allowed to change any past decisions made by the Council, and if he should find a loophole the entire Council would have to support whatever he wants to do," Elrond reasoned.

"I will not have it!" continued Garuend, moving towards Legolas, who was just sitting there watching him. "You… you will ruin everything we've worked to achieve! I'd see you dead before I'd let you have that position!"

Legolas's eyes darkened. "Is that a challenge, Lord Garuend?"

"What if it is?" growled the older elf.

"Then I accept your challenge, Garuend," said Legolas quietly.  
  


"Good. A fight to the death then. You pick the location, I'll pick the weapon."

"The roof of my castle."

"Double swords."

"It is decided then," piped Drogo. "On this day, which will forever be remembered as a day of bloodshed, we will hold a death match between Lord Garuend and King Legolas over the position of head Elf."

Meriadoc stood. "Well, what are we waiting for? Competitors, prepare for battle!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aeriela left Eve's house and drove back to Legolas's castle, hoping her absence hadn't been too noticeable. When she pulled through the gates and up to the castle, she was surprised to see most of the Council congregating outside. She got out of her car and walked up, her heart thumping with worry.

"What's happening?" she asked. "Why is everyone out here?"

The Council turned to face her. Aeriela noticed that there were seven new attendees: four hobbits and three dwarfs, but didn't pay that much attention to that fact.

"Queen Aeriela!" said Elrond, shouldering his way through the crowd. "Where have you been?" He grabbed her by the shoulders a little harder than he had intended.

Aeriela looked into Lord Elrond's eyes and, for the first time in all the years she had known him, he looked panicked. Her heart sank. "I had some things to take care of, why?"

Lord Elrond took a deep breath to calm himself. "Queen Aeriela, King Legolas is going to fight Garuend to the death. You are lucky to have shown up!"

"Wh—what?" asked Aeriela, eyes widening.

"Garuend challenged Legolas for the position of head Elf, which I had given to Legolas since I am retiring. They are going to fight on the roof of Legolas's castle with double swords."

Aeriela's bottom lip began to quiver. "But Legolas doesn't know how to fight with double swords!"

"Exactly. He's tried it once or twice, but having two swords causes him to shift off-balance and Garuend is a master with them! You've got to tell him that this fight is a lose-lose situation! You're the only one he will listen to!"

"But…"

"Aeriela, look at me," said Elrond firmly. "Do you want Legolas do die?"

"No."

"Then just try and see if he will be convinced not to fight."

Aeriela nodded, but deep in her heart she knew Legolas's sense of pride was stronger than any bond she had ever shared with him… he would not be wavered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas was sitting on the bed in his bedroom with his shirt off, staring at the ground when Aeriela opened the door and entered.

"I don't know what I'm doing," he whispered, looking up at her with eyes full of confusion and, of all things, fear. "I'm not fit for head Elf. I should just give the position to Garuend and save myself the trouble of dieing."

Aeriela opened her mouth to say something, anything, but the words didn't come. She hadn't been expecting that. She had been expecting him to put up a fight and ramble about his honor or something like that. Instead… he was giving up.

"I'm such a fool, Arie," he continued as he turned his eyes back to the floor.

"You—you called me… Arie," Aeriela whispered. "You haven't called me that since…"

Legolas shook his head. "Since our son died."

Aeriela, shocked at his sudden openness, took a seat on the bed next to him as far away as possible whilst being right next to him. "Legolas, how did you get yourself into this?"

"Pride. Anger. Same way I get myself into a lot of things," he said, looking down at his hands. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping an old friend in a tight spot," Aeriela said softly. "Legolas, you said yourself that you can call this whole thing off. You know you can't fight with double swords."

"I can fight with them, just not very well. If the blades were shorter, I would be fine."

Aeriela reached up and touched his cheek. "I know that somewhere in there is the Legolas that I planned on marrying all those years ago. The Legolas that showed compassion for the weak and stopped to smell the flowers… What happened to the old Legolas?"

"That Legolas is long gone. He died along with our son. He died when he killed Thranduil. I have tried to find him many times before, by my efforts are useless… he is dead; lost from this realm," said Legolas, leaning into her hand.

Aeriela stroked the side of his face. "No, he is not dead. The old Legolas is alive in my heart, and in the hearts of many. He wanders Mirkwood, trying to find his way home and, eventually, he will return. You will see. The old Legolas is not lost forever."

"Yes, but for the moment the new Legolas has taken over… and the _new_ Legolas must defend his stupid pride." He kissed her on the cheek. "And in case I die, I give you this." In her hand he placed a necklace with a heart-shaped locket.

Aeriela tentatively opened it and gasped. "How did you…"

Legolas smiled ruefully. "A king has many resources."

The she-Elf was speechless. Inside the locket was a small colored portrait of their son, drawn with delicate detail and amazing accuracy. He was wearing the traditional garb from the 1700s, his ash-blonde hair poking out from the rim of his hat. Hot white tears sprang to Aeriela's eyes. "Thank you, Legolas."

He smiled and stood up. "It was the least I could do for the pain I caused you. Now, I must go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"YAAAH!" Garuend sliced upward with his right hand and downward with his left.

Legolas shouted in pain as Garuend's swords grazed his collarbone and kneecap, almost exposing the bone. They had been fighting for about three minutes now, and this was the first blood to be drawn.

"Give it up, Legolas!" shouted the older Elf, thrusting his right sword forward.

Legolas used both of his swords to trap Garuend's, but Garuend was quick; he brought his left sword around and slashed Legolas's arm.

"You can't win!" continued Garuend as Legolas stumbled back. He jumped after his adversary and kicked him in the back of the knees, causing him to fall. "Give me the position and I will spare you." Garuend placed both swords at the blonde Elf's neck, ready to take his head off.

Legolas stared up at Garuend for a moment. "No."

"Then you have chosen your own destruction!" His hands tightened their grip on the two swords.

Before Garuend could chop off his head, however, Legolas threw his upper body backwards so that his legs were bent all the way behind him and his shoulders touched the ground. Garuend sliced thin air and was momentarily shocked. Taking advantage of this distraction, Legolas jumped to his feet and dropped both swords.

"The rules state I can fight with the weapon you choose or none," Legolas said before his opponent could protest. He punched Garuend with all his might, sending the darker Elf reeling backward to the edge of the roof. Clouds began to cover the sun.

Garuend spit blood at Legolas and rose to his feet. "Lucky break."

"So you might think."

They ran at each other again. Garuend dipped his whole body, ready to chop off his adversary's legs, but Legolas jumped into the air and kicked him in the face. Garuend shouted in surprised and brought both swords up, slicing Legolas's legs as he came back down. Legolas ducked, jumped, ducked, ducked, and jumped again, then kicked one sword from Garuend's hand. As Garuend took a moment to realize what had just happened, Legolas knocked the other one away.

Garuend glared at him. "You think you're so smart. Let's just see." He jabbed Legolas in the face three times in one blur, causing the Silver Elf to stumble backwards and land on the very edge of the roof, the right side of his face beginning to swell. Garuend ran over and punched Legolas again as he tried to get up. "This ends here!" The older Elf shoved his rival over the edge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the ground, Aeriela became numb with terror as Legolas was sent over the edge of the roof. "NO! LEGOLAS!" she shrieked, running forward.

Elrond caught her arm and pulled her back. "Aeriela, Aeriela stop! You must stop! There is nothing you can do now!"

Aeriela quit struggling and turned away. Elrond embraced her sympathetically and also turned away, not wanting to see the death of one of the greatest Elves he had ever known… But then something happened neither of them expected. The people around them began… cheering. Elrond whirled around and broke into a smile. "Aeriela, look!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas's arms and legs flailed helplessly as he fell, face-up. He saw Garuend looking over the edge, a triumphant smirk on his face. His life flashed before his eyes.

--------------------

"Hold the bow in your left hand and pull the string taut with your right. Be careful of snapping yourself," instructed Lord Drago, Thranduil's head archer,  demonstrating with his own bow, which was  a heavy black metal one made many years ago when he fought against the Dark Lord Sauron alongside Lord Elrond. "Hold the arrow level." He let the arrow go and it hit the target dead center one hundred yards away.

_Legolas fumbled with his bow, unable to hold the bow and the arrow in the proper place at the same time. The pressure on his arms caused by keeping the bowstring taut was making him grow fatigued, and sweat rolled down the side of his face. He was growing frustrated. "Lord Drago, the arrow doesn't stay still!"_

_Drago adjusted the arrow and stepped back. "Okay."_

_The young elf let the bowstring go and watched in dismay as his arrow flew a few feet then faltered and landed not three yards away. Adding to his distress, the bowstring snapped his hand and he cried out in pain. It felt like he had been whipped and a red line began to form across his knuckles._

_"Bad start. Try again," said Lord Drago, handing the prince another arrow._

_---------------------_

_ "You're always on guard duty these days. What, are you going to save Mirkwood from some lone goblin come to kill us all?" teased Thrandus, Legolas's best friend._

_Legolas smiled to himself but didn't say anything._

_"Oh, so now you know something that I don't?" asked Thrandus as he pulled an apple from his pocket and bit into it. "Pray tell what great knowledge you possess that I don't."_

_"Watch out behind you," said the prince, moving on as Thrandus came to a halt._

_Thrandus hesitantly turned around and came face to face with…_

_A goblin._

_"AAAAAH!!!" screamed the Elf, running to catch up with his friend. "AAAH!! It's gonna get me! Prince Legolas, spare me!"_

_Legolas was doubled over with laughter as he watched his friend cower behind him, hands clamped over his eyes. He walked back over to the 'goblin,' which hadn't moved, and tapped it on the head. "It's just a bust, you idiot!" he exclaimed._

_Thrandus peeked over his friend's shoulder and noticed that, indeed, it was just a bust of a goblin. He then remembered that the busts had been placed there to ward off young children wandering out of their bedrooms at night. He scowled. "I knew that."_

_"Sure you did," said Legolas, shaking his head._

_----------------------_

_"I will take it!" shouted Frodo above the shouting of the Council, all of whom grew suddenly very quiet. "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Although… I do not know the way."_

_"I will help you bear this burden, for as long as it is yours to bear," said Gandalf, coming to stand next to Frodo._

_"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword," said Aragorn._

_"And you have my bow!" Legolas volunteered, joining the group._

_"And my ax!" cried Gimli, rising from his seat._

_Legolas rolled his eyes at the dwarf, who gave him a 'ha!' look as he stood next to the nearly twice as tall Elf._

_"Hey!" shouted a voice. Sam emerged from the bushes and ran over to Frodo. "Mr. Frodo ain't going nowhere without me."_

_"Indeed,  it is highly unlikely that you two can be separated even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not," said Elrond, more amused than irritated at the moment._

_"Wait! We're coming too! You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" shouted two more hobbits as they ran from their hiding places as well, earning surprised and irritated looks from Lord Elrond. "Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this mission… quest… thing."_

_"Well that rules you out, Pip," said Merry._

_Elrond shook his head, then studied the group with wonder. "Nine companions. Very well then… you shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."_

_"Great. Now where are we going?" asked Pippin._

_---------------------_

_But all save Legolas said that they must now take their leave and depart either south or west. "Come, Gimli!" said Legolas. "Now by Fangorn's leave I will visit the deep places of Entwood and see such trees as are nowhere else to be found in Middle-earth. You shall come with me and keep your word; and thus we will journey on together to our own lands in Mirkwood and beyond." To this Gimli agreed, and with no great delight, it seemed._

_---------------------_

_"I'm sorry, Prince Legolas, he is dead."_

_Legolas stared down at the lifeless body of his son. Aeriela began to sob. "No. He can't be dead!" he slammed his fist on the table. "Get him back!"_

_Elrond sighed. "'Tis a pity, Legolas, and we all mourn him, but do not grow angry!"_

_"A pity?! My son is here lost to me and you say I should restrain myself?!" He turned and headed towards the door. "I will kill the one who did this."_

_"But it was an accident!" exclaimed Elrond, grabbing Legolas's arm. "Do not act rashly like this! Think sensibly!"_

_Legolas jerked away. "All the more reason for the one who did it to die… the reckless killing of my son will not go unpunished."_

_---------------------_

_"Thrupolan is right, Legolas," said Garuend, shaking his head. "We cannot show mercy to the very incarnates of evil! It would be like rewarding the wolf who has killed off your entire flock of sheep! They are half the reason for the Great Devastation!"_

_"And the race men are the other half of the reason yet you do not hunt them down like game birds and slaughter them without a shred of mercy, do you?!" roared Legolas, moving towards Garuend. "Why is that, Garuend?!"_

_Garuend looked down, unable to provide a good answer._

_"Listen to me, all of you!" shouted Legolas. "I fought all of Mordor, the Dark Lord, Isengard and its Uruk-hai warriors! And I lived; I prevailed! Yet you do not listen to my words now! Gollum, the very creature Frodo Baggins wished Bilbo had killed when given the chance…Bilbo showed Gollum mercy that most would not and because of Gollum, the One Ring and the Dark Lord are no more."_

_"You do not simply decide to wage war on the Orcs," said Thrupolan, rubbing his temples. "They are…poisonous beings. Their breath is filled with disease and death, their blood riddled with natural venoms. Against the goblins, we would prevail…but the Orcs are intelligent, agile, and guarded by thousands of goblins, whom we will have to kill whether or not we want to. Not with a thousand elves could you do this. It is better to just pick of the goblins until the Orcs are left alone and then finish them off."_

_Legolas smiled. "Ah, dear Thrupolan, my friend…you utter the same words that Boromir once did in the Council of Elrond. Yet you were not there. You do not have the same genuine passion behind your voice that he once did. For that reason, I cannot and shall not take your words as seriously as I did Boromir's."_

_---------------------_

Then, Legolas's right hand hit something hard. Instinctively, he swung his other hand around and grabbed it. His body stopped falling. Pain shot through his entire being from the sudden change of direction, but he ignored it and hung there from the statue of a goblin sticking out of his castle, the situation most ironic. A loud cheer erupted from below and he looked down to see the Council smiling up at him. He then turned his head upward and saw the furious face of Garuend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Garuend, infuriated and embarrassed at not having killed Legolas, tossed away his sword and began to climb down the castle wall. Legolas had fallen from the top floor all the way to the first floor, which was five or six stories. It was possible he could die from falling the thirty feet to the ground, but Garuend didn't want to take that chance. He hopped from balcony to balcony until he reached the floor just above Legolas. From there, he became more cautious. Legolas was much better with all-terrain combat than Garuend was, and the older Elf knew it.

Legolas looked up when he heard the 'thump' of Garuend's body hitting the balcony above him. He smirked and began climbing up.

"It is most unfortunate that you didn't hit the ground," said Garuend with so much bravado that he sounded fake even to himself. "Because now you'll have to suffer."

Legolas flipped him off.

"Well that's pleasant," mumbled Garuend. The two reached each other, both hanging by one arm from the balcony railing about forty feet off the ground.

The Silver Elf smirked and said, "The only one who is going to suffer is you." He brought his foot up and kicked Garuend in the face. Garuend's head snapped back and his grip on the balcony loosened, but he didn't fall.

Garuend punched Legolas with his other hand, then kicked him in the stomach. Legolas groaned and his grip faltered, but he quickly grasped it with his other hand. Not wasting any time, Garuend punched Legolas again, this time hooking his jaw. Legolas felt his neck almost snap and his lip bust wide open from the impact, blood trickling down his chin. Both his hands rapidly began to lose their grip.

"Goodbye, King of Mirkwood," growled Garuend, raising his hand to strike Legolas for the last time.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for Legolas. He turned his head a bit and looked down to see Aeriela and Elrond standing there, horrified, then he looked back up at Garuend's triumphant face. "No," he said firmly. As Garuend's hand came down, he brought both feet up and kicked Garuend in the chest with all his might.

Time righted itself as the darker Elf went flying backwards and landed on the ground in front of the Council, his back audibly breaking. He lay there, dead, with his eyes wide open and shocked. The skies opened up and rain came pouring down.

Legolas bowed his head and slowly climbed down. As soon as his feet were on the ground, two arms wrapped around his neck in a vice-grip.

"Don't you ever do that to me again you idiot!" shouted Aeriela, hugging him as tightly as she could. "I'll kill you myself next time!"

Legolas coughed and pulled on her arms, loosening her hold on him. "I'm sorry, but it had to be done, Aeriela."  
  


She sighed. "I know…"

"You gave us quite a scare, Master Elf," said Gimli, approaching. "I don't know how you saved yourself, but you did. You are quite the warrior."

Legolas nodded in thanks and turned to Garuend's lifeless body, droplets of rain pooling along his pale skin. "Give him a proper royal burial," he said to Therun, who was standing nearby.

"It shall be done, sir," said the guard, bowing.

Aeriela rested her head on his chest. "It's okay, Legolas. It's his fault that he died. He challenged you to a fight to the death, knowing what was at stake!"

"No, Aeriela, it's mine. He didn't kill himself… I did." He removed himself from her arms. "I'm going to clean myself up." As he walked away, the rain came down harder, drenching everyone. And then… Legolas cried, his tears mixing with the rain falling down his face.

_But it won't matter how much I wash my hands, _he thought bitterly, _they'll always be covered in blood._

TBC… 


	6. Mornie Utulie

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.

****

**Storm** **Clouds**

****

By

Brin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 6:** **_Mornië_** **_Utulië_**

The Elves formally declared war on the goblins that afternoon. The declaration was signed by each Council member, along with Madoc Baggins and Gimli. Afterwards, each one to have signed the declaration of war was made the head of a department. Elrond was made head of foreign affairs. Aeriela was appointed head of resources. Gimli was chief of weapons storage and Madoc was head of treasury.

And Legolas?

Legolas, having become the head Elf, was the leader of them all, much like a president with a cabinet. He could no longer be the head of a single area.

The Council came to a close as the sun began to set and three of the hobbits and two of the dwarves returned home. Madoc and Gimli, having responsibilities here now that they had signed the declaration, stayed behind. They were given rooms inside Legolas's castle and several Elven servants of their own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas turned in for the night after the sun had set. With the coming of nightfall, the temperature dropped considerably and a draft moved into the castle. He took a quick shower and when he came out, he was surprised to see someone sitting on his bed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Eve, facing away from the Elf (who was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist), shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me what I'm doing here. You seem to be the all-knowing and wise."

Legolas shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm a bit indecent, Eve. Do you think you could come back later?"

Eve put her hands over her eyes. "I'm not looking, _Legolas_."

The Elf put a hand to his head in frustration. "Please, Eve, don't do this. I told you not to come back here, _ever_. And I meant it."

"Why? What is it about me that you find so threatening as to kick me out of your life like that?" demanded Eve.

Legolas came over to the bed and sat down, shoulders slumping as he felt the weight of the day's events crashing down on him. "Because you expose everything about me. You seem to know what I'm thinking and I feel like I've let you under my skin. I can't let that happen, Eve."

"I got news for you," she said quietly, "I don't know what you're thinking. And I don't feel like I've gotten under your skin. You're a mystery to me, Legolas."

"You are a mystery to me as well," he stated seriously. "There is something about you that is different from most women I have encountered. Your presence is more imposing and commanding than average."

Eve shook her head and chuckled in spite of herself. "Me? Imposing? You've got to be kidding, Legolas. I'm about as imposing as Barney the purple dinosaur."

The Elven king's eyes softened. "I have lived for so many thousands of years it is hard to calculate, Eve, and over that period of time I have met so many women I wouldn't even bother to try and recall them all. But you, Eve… you are something different."

"Really? What about Aeriela? Or the wife that your father disapproved of?"

Legolas cringed. "Ah, Aeriela. She is an Elven queen; you can only expect her personality to be imposing and commanding." He looked as if he were about to say more on the subject, but then thought better of it and said, "And 'the wife that my father disapproved of' was much like you, but a bit more subtle in her prowess and just shy of five feet tall." He laughed in spite of himself. "Her name was Marie. I had just about given up on all hope for the Elven race when I married her. We were together for three years before my father killed her and our son in hatred and insanity. In turn, I killed him."

"You killed your father? Wasn't that hard?" asked Eve quietly, placing her hand on his shoulder, still moist from his shower.

"Of course it was. I almost killed myself afterwards, but Elrond intervened." He turned his head to face her. "So… are you willing to answer _my_ questions now?"

Eve's eyes widened. "_You_ have questions about _me_? What about me could possibly interest a multi-thousand-year-old Elf?"

"Why do you keep following me?" he asked.

Eve looked him up and down. His skin was still glimmering from the shower, his hair tousled. For the first time she noticed the tattoo on his left bicep of a broken arrow, just like it had said in his file… and, also for the first time, she noticed his ears were _not_ covered by that black sock hat. His ears, though a bit pointier than Aeriela's, were just as intriguing as the she-Elf's, and Eve couldn't help but let stare at them. Her jaw moved up and down, but no sound came out.

"Something wrong?" Legolas's voice intruded her thoughts.

Eve shook the mistiness from her head. "Uh… no, nothing."

Legolas eyed her suspiciously a bit before saying, "So why do you keep following me?"

"Hey, I only followed you once!" protested Eve.

"Okay. Then why are you snooping around, trying to find information about me?"

"Well," Eve's shoulders slumped guiltily, "I was just curious. I mean, there isn't anything wrong with curiosity, right?"

"Curiosity about why the sky is blue and curiosity about the knife covered in blood on the kitchen floor are two very different things," commented Legolas.

"That's a bit morbid, don't you think?"

"No. I think it's true."

"Okay, okay, so maybe I strayed into hostile territory, but I did that by choice because I wanted to find more information on the mysterious stranger who saved my life. Is that so horrible, Legolas?" she asked, her voice becoming soft and expressing vulnerability. "I just want to help you fight the goblins. I mean, they almost killed my brother and me!"

Legolas bit his lip and sighed. "Eve, you are relentless… and I admire that." He stood up and faced away from her. "I will let you help me in this war… but you must promise me something."

"Anything."

He now turned around and carefully looked her up and down. "Promise me that you will not cause me to fall in love with you and that you will not fall in love with me."

Eve was more than just a bit taken back. "Legolas, how can I—"

"Please, just promise it!"

"Okay, okay. I promise."

"Thank you, Eve," he said sincerely. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed."

Eve smiled mischievously. "And you actually think I would pass up the chance to see you naked?"

Legolas's eyes widened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Does he kiss his mother with that mouth?" growled Eve as she stared at Legolas's shut bedroom door. "The _nerve_ of that guy!"

"What did you do to him?"

Eve shrieked in surprise and turned around to glare at Aeriela, who was holding back a laugh. "Don't do that! I hate it when people sneak up on me!"

Aeriela bit her lip and shrugged innocently.

"Besides, I didn't do… much to him," said Eve, leaning against the door.

"Uh huh. Riiiiight." Aeriela crossed her arms over her chest and gave Eve an incredulous look. "Depends on what your definition of 'much' is."

Eve blushed a bit. "Well, it was just a joke."

"What was? Come on, Eve!" urged the she-Elf, her sky-blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "Do tell."

"I kinda came in while he was taking a shower and he was only wearing a towel when he came out… and when he asked to leave so he could get dressed me I sorta said something along the lines of 'Would I pass up the chance to see you naked?' Then he cussed at me in several different languages and threw me out."

Aeriela didn't even try and contain her amusement this time. She doubled over with hysterical laughter, much to Eve's irritation.

"It's not funny," she protested, turning bright red. "I was just kidding!"

"You have much to learn about ancient Elven Kings," said Aeriela as she got her laughter under control. "Such as the fact that most of them are severely old-fashioned in their ways."

"He doesn't seem that old-fashioned to me," Eve stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

Aeriela put her hand on Eve's shoulder and began to lead her down the hall. "Legolas is a lot more modern than most of his age or older, such as Elrond, but there is one ancient royal rule that all royalty follow."

"What's that?"

"If a Son or Daughter of Gondor should look upon a royal Elf in his or her natural grace out of wedlock and the Elf allows it then they shall both be shamed for all eternity and required, as an added punishment, to marry. The exception to this rule, of course, was in the case of Arwen and Aragorn, for they had intentions to wed anyway."

Eve's eyes widened. "You mean I…"

"Yep. You might as well have proposed to him right then and there," Aeriela teased as they continued down the long hallway. "But don't worry. He'll get over it."

"Are you sure? He only said one cuss word in English and it wasn't even as horrible-sounding as whatever he said in the other languages!"

The Elf laughed. "Do not worry, Eve. I'm sure he was just shocked."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After raiding Legolas's refrigerator, they sat down in his dining hall to eat at the long table which could've seated at least a hundred people. Eve had swiped a carton of vanilla ice cream while Aeriela was enjoying a slice of chocolate cake.

"So… how could you have possibly married such an… 'emotionally unavailable' guy? I mean, not to be rude, but…?" asked Eve as she shoved a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

Aeriela swallowed audibly. "I told you he hasn't always been like this. He changed."

"Well, if you're able to be friends for so long, doesn't that mean he's _occasionally_ been in a playful or happy mood?"

"_Occasionally_ is the key word here," said Aeriela, licking her fork. "The past year has been especially hard on him, but last year he seemed to be getting back to his old self. I was hoping he would just have a down year and then get back up again, but this war has eliminated any hope of that happening."

"Isn't there any way to get him to come out and play? I mean come on! There's got to be a way to make him stop being sadistic and morbid and negative and…"

Aeriela stopped her by holding up her hand. "Yes, yes, we all know he's those things, but you've got to sympathize in the fact that he's gone through about ten times as much turmoil as the most disturbed mortals. I'm surprised he still has the ability to laugh." She paused long enough to wipe a smudge of chocolate from her lip. "But, if you must know, to get Legolas to 'come out and play,' he must be totally relaxed or in a casual state of mind. He is accident prone while not on his guard, and it is easy to tease him. Eventually, when his ego starts nagging at him to retaliate, he will tease back. That is the only way to tell if he is in a good mood; if he will engage in verbal battle with you or constantly teases you or himself."

Eve nodded her head thoughtfully. "I'll keep that in mind." She put down her spoon and stared at the bottom of her bowl. "Um… I think I'll need to work off that ice cream. Do you think we could take a walk around the grounds?"

Aeriela laughed. "Are we best buds now or something?"

Eve shrugged, trying not to look embarrassed. "You want the truth?"

"That would be nice."

"Well… I'm kind of scared to walk around outside this place at night and my brother sort of took the car and…"

Aeriela chuckled and shook her head. "It's okay. I understand. Besides, Elves need their exercise as well. I am staying here for the night and I'm sure Legolas wouldn't mind if you did as well."

Eve smiled thankfully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside, the bitter night air bit into Eve's flesh and she shivered. Aeriela, however, didn't seem cold at all as they wandered through the seemingly endless, ever-silent Mirkwood forest.

"How do you do that?" asked Eve resentfully through chattering teeth.

"What?"

"Just… just look so warm and toasty when it's like five degrees out here!"

Aeriela chuckled. "Elvish textiles are much better than whatever you mortals use."

Eve scowled at the Elf, but then sighed and gave up. It was too cold to engage in verbal combat. She looked around at the trees that seemed to extend to the sky in wonder. "How long have these trees been here?"

"No one can accurately say, but I'd guess some have been in these woods over a 100,000 years, maybe more. This is the last remaining chunk of Mirkwood, Legolas's kingdom," said Aeriela, also gazing around at the trees. "It means a lot to him."

"I can see why. Everything here is so beautiful!" She came to the base of a tree and looked up into its jungle of branches. "I wonder what it's like up there."

Aeriela stared at Eve for a moment, then also turned her eyes upward. "Give me just a second."

"O…kay." Eve crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

Aeriela searched the treetops with her eyes carefully, then turned and ran with the agility and grace of a cat towards a nearby tree.

Eve watched, amazed, as Aeriela jumped at least twenty feet into the air to grab onto a "low" branch, flip herself upward, and land on the next highest branch in a crouching position. Eve's mouth dropped.

"How the hell did you do that?!" she cried, running to the base of the tree, dragging her jaw along the ground the entire way.

"It's an Elf thing," said Aeriela, smiling down at the mortal.

"I wanna get up there!"

Aeriela looked around. "Um… this'll work." She yanked what looked like a white rope from the mass of leaves and dropped it down to Eve.

"Well that's convenient," Eve commented aloud as she began to climb up the rope, which felt strangely soft. "What he heck is this stuff?"

"I think it's the web of giant spiders, but I'm not sure. The last one died of disease about twenty years ago but Legolas didn't bother with cleaning up the webs and things like that. He didn't see any point to it."

Eve stared at the material in her hand and almost let go with surprise and disgust, but since she consciously knew she was hanging fifteen feet in the air it didn't seem like a very good idea. "G-g-giant spiders?" She pulled herself onto the branch below Aeriela and wiped her hands on her jacket repeatedly.

"Yes. They lurked outside Mirkwood for thousands of years and Legolas allowed them to stay here, but with the lack of room and inbreeding they have all died away," explained the Elf, setting against the tree trunk. "I think you would've liked the Earth as it was during our time."

"How _was_ the Earth 'during your time?'"

Aeriela turned her bright blue eyes, glowing even in the dim light, to Eve and shrugged, a smile escaping her control. "I honestly do not remember anything but the fact that the land was beautiful year-round and always full of life. Races lived side by side somewhat peacefully for awhile after the destroying of the One Ring, barely even conscious of the existence of some, like the hobbits. When I was born, the race of Men was just coming through a dark period in which they almost died out. Over the years some had married Elves and their offspring strengthened the gene pool. It is because of the Elves that you are what you are today… and it is because of Men that there are so few of my kind now."

Eve looked down at the ground below and ran her fingers through her hair. "You sure know a lot."

"Of course I do. I'm a Queen, I must know these things." The Elf's eyes twinkled mischievously as she went on, "Besides, we need to establish the fact that I am not arrogant, just a whole lot better than you."

Eve narrowed her eyes in mock-anger. "Is that so, you stinking, stuck-up, prissy Elf?"

"It is, you filthy, stupid human!"

"Alright, ladies I think that is quite enough," came a voice from below.

Eve shouted in surprised and fell backwards…

Right off the branch.

"Eve!" yelled Aeriela, moving to jump after the mortal.

"It's okay. I got her."

Aeriela sighed in relief when she realized that it was Legolas who had interrupted their conversation. She hopped from her branch to the lower one and watched amusedly.

"You can open your eyes now," Legolas whispered into Eve's ear.

Eve, who was holding his neck in a vice-grip, opened her eyes. A red blush crept up neck to her face as she realized what had happened. She had fallen for no apparent reason besides panic and, luckily, Legolas had been standing right beneath the tree and was able to catch her. "Um… t-t-thanks?" she stuttered. Legolas was holding her like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold. She flushed three more shades of red.

Legolas set down first her feet, but her arms remained around his neck. "Next time you plan on dropping in, warn me first."

Eve couldn't help but chuckle at his incredibly corny pun. That had to be one of the first 'jokes' she had ever heard leave his mouth when speaking to her. She remembered very well the teasing between him and Jack (or was it Izareth?), but it was a whole new feeling when the teasing was directed at _her_. Aeriela's advice of his good moods echoed in her head and she couldn't help but let a smile linger on her lips.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Eve finally realized she was still holding onto his neck tightly, her dark brown eyes locked with his sky-blue ones and their faces mere inches away. Eve broke off from the gaze and let go of his neck only to find his hands on her hips, having loosened his hold on her legs so that she stood on her own two feet.

"Uh… um…" she stammered, stepping back and out of his reach.

Legolas smiled. "I have never quite seen that shade of red before. It is quite intriguing."

Eve's cheeks grew hot and she looked down at the ground as if it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.

"Nor have I seen that shade. And I do believe that if your attempt at becoming a color spectrum continues, you will be purple by the time this is over. That would be most alarming, for I would be struck with the fear that a great maiden of Gondor had lost all her breath," said Legolas.

"Hey! Stop it!" protested Eve as, on cue, she became short of breath.

"Stop what?" asked the king, eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "I fear I haven't the slightest idea of what you speak, Dark Maiden."

"Dark Maiden? Doesn't that sound a bit evil to you?"

Legolas laughed heartily. "Evil? My lady, if I were to call you a Fair Maiden it would be most unfitting. You are a Maiden of Gondor and your complexion is much darker than that of Elves, so therefore you are dubbed the Dark Maiden. Otherwise, I could refer to you as the 'Brown Lady.'"

Eve choked back laughter. "No… no, I think Dark Maiden sounds better."

"Well then from now on I will instruct my Elves to refer to you as the Dark Maiden of Gondor, One who has seen our secrets."

"Hm… I like it." They stood in companionable silence for a moment or two, then Eve suddenly looked up. "Where'd Aeriela go?"

"She went away towards the beginning of our conversation."

"Then how come I didn't see her?"

"Aeriela can avoid being seen if she chooses, and Elves are masters of camouflage."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact."

Eve now took a brave step towards him. "I think you Elves are full of yourselves."

Legolas raised his eyebrow indignantly. "That was a bit uncalled for, don't you think?

"No, I think it was fitting. Besides, it's not like you don't have a reason to be full of yourselves. Who wouldn't want pointy ears and evil, half-human/half-monster creatures following them around with a grudge?"

Legolas now narrowed his eyes. "You speak bravely, Dark Maiden. I think it would be wise of you to now… run."

Eve stared at him challengingly, then he took a wide step towards her and she turned tail and ran. She could barely hear Legolas's footsteps as they moved quickly and stealthily after her. Against her better judgment, she gave in to the urge and looked back to find…Legolas was gone. Eve stopped running. "Legolas? Chris?" Nothing. She turned her head to look the way she had been headed and—

"BOO!"  
  


"AAAAAH!!" Eve fell over into a conveniently-placed pile of leaves.

Legolas doubled over with laughter. "You should've seen your face!!" He collapsed next to her and rolled back and forth across the ground.

"That's not funny!" protested Eve, her face growing hot.

The Elf continued to guffaw for a few more minutes before he finally got himself under control and solemnly looked up at her from his position sprawled out on his stomach. "Do you not like it when I laugh at you, my Dark Maiden?"

"Well… it's not so much that I don't like it, it's just that you scared the hell out of me!" she said truthfully, covering her face with her hands.

"I am sorry. I could not resist." He brushed a leaf from his hair and they gazed at each other for a moment or two, then Legolas raised himself into a sitting position. "Come. The night grows old and we must turn in." Standing up, the Elf held out his hand.

Eve stared the offered hand for a small eternity before taking it. "Yes. We must turn in."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As they walked back to Legolas's castle, Eve noticed that the closer they got the less happy Legolas seemed to be. His smile slowly faded and his movements grew stiff and deliberate instead of relaxed and casual as they had been before.

"Something wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Legolas furrowed his brow. "No. I just…I just have this weird…feeling." He frowned and then a familiarly haunting voice reached both their ears, piercing the night silence like a sword through butter.

_Legolassss! My King, my Master, my SLAVE! LEGOLASSS! Mornië utulië, Legolas!_

The foul voice then faded, leaving both Legolas and Eve rooted to the spot.

"What did it say?" asked Eve, remembering the voice from strange book in the bookstore.

Legolas did not reply. Instead, he let go of her hand and took off at a run for his castle, quickly vanishing from view.

"Hey! Wait up!" shouted the young woman as she ran desperately after him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas reached the front door of his castle to see a group of familiar faces standing outside, waiting for him.

"You brought it here!" growled the King of Mirkwood, his hands balled into fists down at his sides. "I did _not_ give you permission to bring it here!"

A blonde Elf stepped through the group to face Legolas. It was Haldir. "Calm down, my friend! We meant no harm, but goblins attacked Lord Elrond's store and we had to save it from their filthy hands!"

"You had no right to bring that… that _thing_ to my castle!" snarled Legolas, jumping back.

Haldir looked down at the Book that he held in his arms. It seemed harmless enough to him, but he knew what it had done to Thranduil and what it was capable of doing to his old friend Legolas. "We meant no offense."

"Get it away from me!" Legolas continued to walk backward. Then, the Book's voice entered his mind and he placed a hand to his forehead…

Mornië utulië. Aníron lîn iest, Legolas Thranduilion. Cuiva Legolas. Ú-reniathach. Reniad ne môr gwannen le narchannen. 

Darkness has come. I desire your wish, Legolas son of Thranduil. Wake up. You will not stray. The journey in darkness left you broken.

"Stop talking to me!" shouted Legolas, covering his ears. He glared at Haldir. "Get it away from me!"

Haldir quickly handed the Book to Treflin, one of his constant companions and his royal messenger, who hurried away with it. The other Elves followed, not wanting to experience the wrath of the King of Mirkwood. As soon as Treflin was gone, Legolas started calming down.

"Old friend, I am sorry to have caused you pain," said Haldir, approaching the king.

Legolas sat on the ground and stared at his feet. "I won't let that damned Book control me like it did my father. I won't let it persuade my thoughts or poison my mind. Keep it away from me."

"You do know the power you could wield if you used the Book, right?" asked the other Elf, sitting next to Legolas. "The goblins wouldn't stand a chance against us."

"We've discussed this, Haldir. Nothing you say or do would change my mind about that… that thing. We will win this war without being dependent on the Book. I don't want to become like Sauron." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "_Nuruva quetis_, Haldir."

"It speaks of death?"

"Yes. It said _mornië utulië_, 'darkness has come'. This war has begun, Haldir, and we have reached the point of no return."

Haldir nodded thoughtfully. "Of what dialect did it speak to you?"

"Some Quenya, some Sindarin. It was all mixed up. I don't doubt my father never taught it the difference between either language."

"Just goes to show… you shouldn't depend on something with no right mind." He paused and a mischievous grin passed over his face. "Wait… then that means we shouldn't depend on you, right?"

Legolas shook his head and allowed himself to grin. "Always the sarcastic one, eh Haldir?" He looked up at Haldir to see the Lórien Elf staring elsewhere. Legolas followed his friend's gaze and saw that Haldir was staring at none other than Eve, standing with a furious look upon her face at the edge of the trees.

"I think someone needs to speak with you," said Haldir, quickly rising to his feet. "You don't mind if I stay here for the night, do you?" Without waiting for Legolas to respond, he continued, "Of course you don't! I'll just be going inside now." He scurried away, leaving Legolas to the wrath of the Dark Maiden.

Eve stomped towards the Elf, eyes blazing. "What the hell did you think you were doing, leaving me like that?! I thought something was wrong and here you are, sitting and chatting with your best bud! You're no different than mortal men! Jeez!"

Legolas hung his head in feigned-shame, hoping to quell the Dark Maiden's ranting.

"You made me worried," she said, her voice softening. "Don't do that again."

Legolas raised his eyes and looked at her with eyes full of emotion. "I won't. Forgive me for worrying you, my Dark Maiden of Gondor."

Eve sighed and let her shoulders slump. "Okay, okay. I forgive you. Now, I am ready to flop into a bed and sleep until Christmas."

"Let me find you a room, milady," said the Elf, opening his castle door. "You first."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas showed her to her room, which was a few doors down from his own bedroom and in-between Aeriela's and Haldir's. "You shall sleep easy tonight under the protection of Mirkwood and all its visitors, Dark Maiden of Gondor. If you need anything, pull the rope next to the fireplace and one of my maids will get you what you need."

"Okay," said Eve, honestly impressed. "Do I have to pay rent?"

"I just might consider it," joked the Elf, eyes twinkling. "Sleep now. You need your rest."

Eve nodded her thanks and Legolas left, the smile never leaving his lips.

The room was expensively-decorated in almost all white save the ceiling, the mahogany bureau, bed, and chest at the foot of the bed. Painted on the walls were flowers of every kind, each one obviously hand-painted and slightly different. The ceiling was black with what Eve assumed to be quartz pieces stuck into it, giving the impression of stars. The fireplace was already full with dancing flames that cast a warm glow over the entire room.

_Nice,_ Eve thought to herself as she shrugged off her jacket and pants and climbed into the canopy bed, pulling the snow-white bedcovers up to her chin. _Very, nice._ She snuggled into the feather mattress and was about to fall asleep when a melodic and soothing voice reached her ears:

_An Elven-maid there_ _was of old,_

_          A_ _shining star by day:_

_Her mantle was white hemmed with gold_

_          Her shoes_ _of_ _silver-gray._

And then another, this time deeper but just as beautiful:

_A star was bound_ _upon her brows,_

_          A light_ _was on her hair_

As sun upon the golden boughs 

_          In Lórien the fair._

The next voice was distinctly female and of a more sweet than soothing tone:

_Her hair was long,_ _her limbs were white_

_          And fair_ _she was and free;_

_And in the wind she went as light_

_          As leaf of a_ _linden-tree._

Then, a voice that Eve could never forget. Legolas sung the next verses, his voice both calming and alluring whilst being comforting and saccharine:

_Beside the_ _falls of_ _Nimrodel,_

_          By water clear and cool,_

_Her voice as a falling silver fell_

_          Into the shining pool._

_Where now she wanders none can tell,_

_          In sunlight or in shade_

_For lost of yore was Nimrodel_

_          And_ _in the_ _mountains strayed._

The last of the song went unheard to the Dark Maiden, who had been lulled to sleep by the sweet song of Nimrodel and the melodic voice of Legolas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve awoke the next morning around eleven. The fire had died down to nothing more than heated coals and a chill had settled over the room. She peeled back the covers that had been keeping her body warmth hostage and was about to pull her jeans and coat back on when she discovered a baby blue robe neatly laid out beside the fire for her, pressed and ready. Relinquishing her dirty clothes, she quickly changed into the offered item and was pleased to find it very warm.

The next thing she sought out for was a shower. She was about to ring for a maid when she realized there was a door a few feet away from the bed that she hadn't noticed before.

"Oh, Legolas, you are too kind," she said to herself amusedly as she moseyed over and opened the white door. A gasp escaped her lips.

Sure enough, it was a bathroom, and what a bathroom it was! Almost everything was carved of white marble! There was a Jacuzzi large enough to seat five in the middle of the room, dug right into the floor; a shower in the corner with a silver showerhead; a huge linen closet along one wall and another door next to the shower that Eve assumed led to the toilet.

"I could get used to this," Eve commented aloud, walking over to the linen closet. A white bathrobe was hanging on the inside of the door and she traded it with her blue one before venturing to the Jacuzzi. "Oh yeah, I could get _very_ used to this."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was noon when Eve forced herself to get out of the Jacuzzi, her skin wrinkled like a raisin. Waiting for her on the bed (which had been made with meticulous care) was a new change of clothes—black pants and a collared white shirt. She put these on and pulled her hair up in a wet ponytail, then considered her work in the mirror. Pleased, Eve then went out of the room and into the hallway, surprised to find it filled with Elves! Hundreds of them! And not only that, but curiously small men! Eve's eyes widened with curiosity as a stout little man with a beard so bushy it covered his entire face lumbered by.

An Elf with dark brown hair and blue-gray eyes, came up to her and bowed. "Good morning, Dark Maiden. Did you sleep peacefully?"

Eve nodded. "Yeah, um, what's going on here? Where did all these Elves come from?"

"King Legolas called for the Elven army to form. These Elves are all members of the army, the many Elven Councils, or have come to offer tributes to the war," answered the dark-haired Elf. He tugged on her hand. "King Legolas has called for your presence."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve was led down the hall, up a flight of stairs, and down a completely empty hallway to a seemingly random door.

"What's inside here?" she asked.

The servant Elf bowed low at the waist. "Inside is the Council. They are discussing the last few issues of the war. Lord Elrond's bookstore was attacked last night, and an Elven weapons storage building was burned to the ground, along with a thousand arrows and three hundred bows."

Eve winced. "Ah. I see." She opened the door and went inside.

"And here she is now!" exclaimed Legolas, who was standing in the middle of a circle of tables. The room was eerily empty except for the tables and the maps and scrolls all over the walls.

Every person in the room turned around to look at Eve, who suddenly felt embarrassed and diminutive. She recognized none but Lord Elrond, Thrupolan, Legolas, Aeriela, and Dimitri from the first Council she had witnessed. There were also other beings besides Elves present: small men with big, burly beards and stout builds; even smaller men with heads full of curly hair and no beards or mustaches in sight; and, most surprising of all, there were _normal humans_ sitting at one of the tables.

"Members of the New Alliance, I give you Eve, the Dark Maiden of Gondor, who will be aiding me in my rule during this war," said Legolas. "Please, come in." He gestured to the chair behind him.

As Eve moved forward, a young Elf came up and asked in a voice that was barely audible, if she would bow her head. Eve complied and a silver tiara was placed upon her head. Dazed, she took a seat.

"So this is the one who has saved our King from the death of his heart," said Dimitri, tapping a quill on the table thoughtfully. "We are forever in debt to you." He bowed his head.

Eve smiled nervously in return.

"Allow me to introduce you to the Head members of the New Alliance," stated Legolas, moving to the first table, where the group of small, burly men sat. "Gimli, High Lord of the Dwarves, and his helpers, Glóin, Thorin, and Dwalin."

Gimli rose from his seat and went over to Eve. "Very nice to meet you, milady." They shook hands and he sat down, removing his helmet and placing it on the table self-consciously.

"I assume you know Thrupolan, Dimitri, Elrond, and Aeriela from your little spying escapade." Legolas smiled in spite of himself and moved on to another table full of Elves that Eve had never seen before. "These are the representatives from other continents. The Council that I lead controls South America and North America." He then gestured to a tall, slightly built Elf with light blonde hair, exceptionally fair skin, and eyes the color of sterling silver. "This is Philendel, Ruler of Europe."

Philendel nodded his hello.

Legolas then pointed to a shorter Elf with dark brown hair, skin uncommonly dark compared to the fair skin of most of the other Elves, and hazel eyes. "This is Kiendos, Ruler of Asia, where there are few Elves but many half-Elves."

Kiendos smiled, "It is a pleasure, Dark Maiden."

"Then we have the Ruler of Australia, Haldir," continued Legolas, pointing to an Elf with features very close to his own.

Haldir wriggled his fingers at Eve and winked. Eve instantly liked him.

"And our hobbit representatives, Madoc Baggins and his helpers: Samwise, Peregrin and Isengar."

The four curly-haired men regarded Eve with curious bright blue eyes. She smiled at them amusedly; they reminded her very much of mischievous young children.

As Legolas continued on to the table full of humans, Aeriela rose from her seat and came over to sit next to Eve. "I don't like it over there. I'm the only female besides you here," whispered the she-Elf, shooting a glare to Philendel. "Watch out for that one. He's got eyes to die for and the charm to back it up."

Eve chuckled, then noticed that Legolas was talking in hushed tones with one of the humans. She leaned closer to Aeriela. "What do you think they're saying?"

Aeriela shrugged. "We'll just have to see."

Legolas stepped back and nodded to the mortal, then returned to his seat next to Eve, placing his hand over hers.

Eve stared at their hands for a moment, unbelieving, then her attention was turned elsewhere as one of the humans began to speak:

"Dark Maiden of Gondor, I do believe you would want an explanation as to why we, 'mere mortals', are here among the Council of Elves, Dwarves, and Hobbits," he said, standing up. He had long dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a bushy goatee. The men sitting at the table behind him were very much the same save one, who had hair of a more auburn color and freckles.

"I guess it _is_ a bit odd that you should be here," admitted Eve when he did not continue.

"As it should be. Out of the six billion humans on this Earth, I would say about fifty thousand know the secret of the Elves, Hobbits, and Dwarves. That is not very many, mind you, considering how many 'mythical creatures' there are on this earth. All who know are forbidden to speak of their encounters. If they do tell, we have no choice but to… execute them for betrayal."

Eve winced.

"But enough of that. I will tell you the story of the what happened to the race of Men and why they now rule the world." A brief pause. "I, fair Lady Eve, am the youngest descendent of Aragorn, late King of Gondor. My name is Tethir, though I am more casually known as Anthony, and these are my brothers, Faramir, Grandir, and Eomir.

"After the Destruction of the One Ring, Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, became King of the formerly decaying nation of Gondor. He rebuilt Gondor and brought it back to its old power and respect with the help of the Elves… though he could not totally rid the world of the flaws in the character of Men. One day, while King Aragorn was visiting King Legolas in Mirkwood, a band of rebels attacked Queen Arwen's former home, Rivendell, brutally slaughtering the few Elves still residing there but leaving Elrond to tell the story.

"When King Aragorn was returning home, they killed him as well. It was a dark day. His son, named after Boromir, took the throne. Boromir, however, was not as strong in heart and as half as noble as his father. He led a war against the Elves for three agonizingly long years, but was defeated by none other than King Legolas in the famous battle known as the Battle of _Môr_, or the Battle of Darkness. Boromir was exiled and later killed by an Elven war party of Lórien.

"After that, the race of Men flourished under the command of Boromir's brother, Isildus, but other races dwindled from the aftermath of the war. Many years passed. The Elves went into hiding as their numbers continued to spiral down and the race of Men took over Middle Earth. Three hundred years later, the Orcs emerged from the nearly-forgotten Mines of Moria in staggering numbers. Acting quickly, a Second Alliance was formulated by Lord Elrond, consisting of dwarves, Elves, Men, and twenty or so hobbits, and they clashed with the Orcs outside the White City.

"The Orcs, however, had more power than they had expected. Half of their army broke off and slaughtered all save a handful of the already scarce Lórien Elves, over half of the remaining Rivendell Elves, and all the Mirkwood Elves but seventy, leaving only about eight hundred Elves _before_ the Second Alliance fought against the Orcs. The Orcs then proceeded to butcher the other races of the world.

"In the end, there were almost one hundred remaining Elves, three hundred dwarves, and ninety hobbits. The race of Men endured, however, and because of that Gondor met no further resistance when it began to spread into the other lands of Middle-Earth, which were rapidly changing as Middle-Earth geographically became what is modern Earth by things such as earthquakes and 'continental drifts.' Lórien and Rivendell faded into myth, Hobbiton was destroyed, the dwarf mines were caved in, and all that remains of Mirkwood is what you see around you. It is only by great sacrifice have I gained the trust of the Good Races to stand before you. And that, Dark Maiden, is the history of your people. Accept it or not, it is the truth." He looked at Eve, his head bowed, waiting for any kind of response.

Eve was stunned into silence. She stared at Tethir for a long, long time, then turned her eyes to Legolas, who had a dark look upon his fair face. The handsome Elf was looking straight at Lord Elrond; talking to the elder Elf with his eyes. Elrond bowed his head a bit and Legolas sighed, then stood. "And now that we have all reviewed our history lesson, I feel it is time to turn our attention back to the task at hand." He patted Eve's hand comfortingly, a signal that she had been let off the hook. "How many soldiers can each race spare?"

"The Orcs have declared war on us all," announced Madoc in a matter-of-factly tone, lacing his hands behind his head. "And they are especially mad that we have come together to fight as one great force."

"We can give you three hundred dwarves," rumbled Gimli, thumping the handle of his ax on the ground for effect. "Those damned Orcs won't know what hit 'em!"

Several Elves snickered under their breaths, receiving malevolent glares from the dwarves.

"Only two hundred hobbits," Madoc said, now leaning forward. "And believe me, our fighting skills have improved over the past hundred thousand years."

They all turned to Tethir questioningly.

"And what of the race of Men?" asked Legolas quietly. "How many can the proud descendents of Aragorn spare?"

Eve detected a hint of detestation and sarcasm in Legolas's voice, but she wasn't certain and forced herself to stop thinking about it.

"I know of at least three hundred Men that are willing to fight the Orcs. Most of them are half-Elves that have decided it is best to capitalize on their mortal blood instead of their immortal blood."

"And you _do_ know that every Elf who can hold his own bow will fight the Orcs for you, right, King Legolas?" asked Haldir seriously.

Legolas scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I don't want any fighters younger than 21 from the Men, dwarves, and hobbits… and the Elven lords know of what age I speak of for their Elves."

"But King Legolas, that is ridiculous! That severs about one fourth of our fighting force!" exclaimed Grandir, rising from his seat.

"I will not risk the lives of the youth. We will have our senior fighters give it a try first, then, should it be needed, we will mix in younger fighters… but only if they are desperately needed, do you understand me?" said Legolas, raising his voice a bit.

"But if we do not attack first in large numbers then we _will_, in the end, be forced to use the youth! The chain reaction will be catastrophic!"

"No. You humans taught us Elves the art of attacking in small numbers very, very well," growled Dimitri. "We have the means and strategies to beat a force ten times larger than ours without massive loss."

Tethir opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment Therun burst into the room, blood leaking from one of his temples and his eyes wide with shock. The Council jumped from their seats and ran over to help him.

"What happened, Therun?" asked Legolas as he helped his guard down into a sitting position.

"_Y… y … yrch!_ H-h-h-hundreds… of them!" Therun choked as Elrond called for a healer.

"Where?" asked Thrupolan.

"Ou-outside!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas stood outside his castle with a force of about six hundred Elves, dwarves, hobbits, and humans behind him as he watched six hundred Orcs—a writhing black mass in the distance—advance on them at an agonizingly slow pace. They had all but obliterated Legolas's castle walls, killing most of the guards, and now they were scouring the forest as they moved through it for Elven scouts. 

The New Alliance Army had not yet been formulated, but luckily Legolas had called for a the joining of the Elven army at the right time; five hundred trained Elves had been able to jump at a minute's notice.

_"Tangado haid!"_ shouted Legolas after about five minutes of anxious waiting. The Orcs were almost within range now. He waited a few seconds before, _"Hado i philin!" _Arrows whizzed past his head, causing the first and second wave of Orcs to go down.

Elrond, who was standing next to Legolas, nodded approvingly.

"If I don't make it, Elrond, take care of Eve and Aeriela for me," said Legolas. The third wave of Orcs was hesitant to move into range. They had a few extra moments of precious life.

"You will not die this day, Legolas," said Elrond in a matter-of-factly tone. "You still have a ways to go before they will take you."

The far left side was hit with Orcs. Arrows sang.

"You're like a father to me, Elrond. Let it be known that I leave all my possessions to you if I die," continued the King of Mirkwood.

The far right side was dragged into the fight.

"And if_ I_ die, all _my_ possessions are left to _you_," Elrond declared.

Legolas pulled an arrow from his quiver and…

The battle began.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the safety of the castle, Eve watched in horror as gray-skinned, deformed creatures ran like a black ocean of death into the temporary army Legolas had gathered. "I thought they couldn't move in daylight," she commented aloud to herself.

"It's not that they can't move in daylight, it's that they don't want to," Aeriela said softly.

Eve turned around. "What are you doing here?!"

"I do not fight, Eve. As much as I wish I could… I have never been taught the art of war or battle," the she-Elf confessed. "It is a terrible thing that this should happen." She looked out the window. "The Orcs have human blood running in their veins now, as do the goblins."

"What's the difference?"

"Orcs are larger than goblins. In the old days, that was the only difference… but now, they have formed a primitive government. The Orcs run everything; the leaders of the pack, and the goblins usually do the dirty work. It is most unusual that they should send their leaders into battle first…"

Eve slammed her fist on the windowsill. "I can't just sit here and do nothing! Why don't we just get a gun and destroy them all in one blow?!"

Aeriela winced. "Guns are forbidden in Ancient Wars, but even outside the wars we rarely use them."

"Why?!"

"Because they are: 1) too hard to get and 2) they are too barbaric for any Ancient Race's liking."

"Too barbaric?" asked Eve, incredulous. "Arrows seem more barbaric to me."

Aeriela shook her head. "Guns require hardly any skill except being able to pull the trigger and aim in the right direction. To be an archer takes intense concentration and practice. We prefer the bow to the gun, and that is that."

"Okay… then why do the Orcs follow this rule about guns?"

"Because Orcs and goblins prefer watching the long, agonizing deaths of their prey."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"_Tira ten' rashwe!_" Haldir yelled to the Elves around him as he cut into the Orc he was fighting. His bluish-green eyes quickly swept over the area and a horrible realization came over him. "There's more! They're still coming!"

"It's goblins!" shouted Legolas, running over to his friend. "They've deployed all their forces to smash us in one blow! We need help!"

"_Shaalth!_" Haldir called before ducking an Orc sword and then stabbing it in the back as it passed by.

A dark-haired Elf came running over. "Yes, Lord Haldir?"

"Go, as fast as you can, and find the summoning number dwarfish forces! It is on one of the desks in the Meeting Room! We need any help we can get! Go!"

The lieutenant nodded and ran off.

BOOM.

Legolas's head jerked up at the sound. He launched himself into a tree and began shooting the goblins as they ran by below. The Orcs were slowly retreating, but quickly being replaced with at least five of the smaller, less-experienced goblins.

BOOM. BOOM.

"No," mumbled the Elven king. "Not again." Words began to echo in his head…

"'We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall. Frár and Lóni and Náli fell there.' The there are four lines smeared so that I can only read 'went 5 days ago.' The last lines run 'the pool is up to the wall at Westgate. The Watcher in the water took Óin. We cannot get out. The end comes' and then 'drums, drums in the deep. They are coming.'"

Legolas's eyes widened with fear. He looked to the left and right. Goblins were everywhere. He looked in front and behind. They were _everywhere._ He cursed and shot one as it tried to climb the tree.

They were trapped.

"Everyone form up!" shouted the king at the top of his lungs. He shot three more goblins as they approached. "_Do not_ let them surround you or single you out! Fight as one!"

Suddenly realizing the grave mistake they had made, the Elves followed orders, coming together in one huge group.

"Forward!" commanded Lord Elrond. "_Gurth gothrim lye!_"

"Death to our foes!" chanted the army, raising their swords high. The goblins tried now to surround them once again, but were mowed down by the Elves, now working together, stationed on the outside of the formation.

From his position in the trees, Legolas's arrows sang again and again, killing his fair share of goblins and clearing them from the army's rear. He then ran out of arrows and took a brief moment to look around.

Bodies littered the ground, many of them Elves, dwarves, and hobbits, but most of them goblins. There were few Orcs. The blood of each race pooled together, creating a dark red ocean. He covered his mouth with his hand as he saw the mutilated body of Treflin, who had been a very young Elf, lying in an awkward position with his leg and arm twisted underneath him and an arrow protruding from his chest. He gulped and closed his eyes, only to open them again and see Therun also lying dead, his head near ripped off.

"King Legolas!" shouted a voice.

Legolas looked down to see Philendel staring up at him, blood smeared across his face.

"You must come! Lord Elrond is injured! The goblins are retreating, and we have sent our best scouts after them!" said the European King, jumping from foot to foot anxiously.

The Mirkwood King looked up and, indeed, the goblins were screeching to each other as they ran towards the destroyed castle gate, many of the slower ones getting shot. Their numbers had greatly decreased, much to the relief of Legolas. But it was not the time to rejoice yet. He jumped down from the tree. "Where is Elrond?"

Philendel led Legolas to the fallen Rivendell Elf. As soon as Legolas saw him, his heart dropped to his toes and his stomach threatened to expel its contents. He gasped with grief and fell to his knees next to Elrond. The old Elf had been stabbed twice in the chest and once in the stomach, blood covering him from head to toe. His breathing was ragged and strained as his lungs filled up with blood, his eyelids drooping.

"_Dina_," he whispered before Legolas said anything. "Be silent."

Legolas nodded and bowed his head, staring at the ground intently.

Elrond waved the other Elves standing around away, and they complied; quickly leaving the area. He then placed his hand on Legolas's shoulder. "You have been like a son to me for so long, Legolas. I know you to be headstrong, stubborn, and one hell of a fighter. I want you to keep that up for as long as you have to, Legolas, and remember this: the steps we take in life define the footprints we leave behind. Do not leave behind footprints you will regret, Legolas." Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

"Do not leave me, Elrond, in a time when I need you most," Legolas cried.

"_N'uma_," commanded the Rivendell Elf, his voice a mere whisper but all the same authorative and strong. "Stop."

Legolas bit his lip. "I swear to you, Lord Elrond of Rivendell, I will not let the Elves diminish as long as there is life within me."

Elrond smiled up at the Mirkwood Elf, his eyes slowly misting over. "Stay strong…"

Legolas gulped as he watched the life fade from Elrond's eyes. The Rivendell Elf's hand fell from his shoulder, landing on the ground with an empty thud. Tears began to stream down the King of Mirkwood's face as he placed a kiss on Elrond's cold forehead then stood up straight and tall. He could hear light footsteps approaching from behind him.

"Is he… dead?" asked Eve's timid voice.

"Yes," answered the Mirkwood King quietly, his voice both strong and weak at the same time. "You should not be out here so soon after battle, Dark Maiden. Goblins may still wander about."

"I fear them not, for my valiant Elven King shall protect me," Eve whispered, attempting the sophisticated language style she had observed most of the Elves using.

"Even your 'valiant Elven King' cannot protect you from the _yrch _when they are in such large numbers. Look at the bodies strewn around you! Dark Maiden, you are less protected here than you are among your people."

Eve glanced around at the corpses littering the ground and became green around the edges. The stench of death had already begun to feel the air, flies gathering in black swarms. "This is so horrible." She covered her mouth with her hand.

"This is war," mumbled Legolas. He wiped his hand across his cheek, smearing blood on his face, and sighed. _"Shaalth!"_

His lieutenant and Therun's brother, Rienen, ran up and saluted him. "Yes, Sir?"

"Clean up this mess. Burn the Orcs and goblins. All others are to be returned to their respective races. Any and all officers are to be identified and given merits of war, do you understand?" instructed Legolas.

"Yes, Sir!"

"Okay. After you're done with that, collect any arrows that are still usable and put them into the weaponry storehouse."

"I'm on it." Rienen ran off.

Eve, who had been impatiently waiting for the Elven King to finish, now hurried over and grabbed Legolas's right hand. "You're bleeding!" She pointed to the deep incision across his palm.

"Yeah… I got nicked by an arrow while reaching into my quiver."

The Dark Maiden shook her head. "Get that bandaged! What would've happened if it had cut a major artery or vein or something like that? Hmm?"

"I am not the one in need of medical assistance at the moment, Dark Maiden, but I greatly appreciate your concern," he insisted, placing a light kiss on her knuckles. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"If it doesn't disturb you too much, would you please help my Elves look through the bodies for those who are still alive? We need all the help we can get." He pulled a knife from his boot and handed it to her. "Keep this. Just in case. _Tira ten' rashwe_. Be careful."

Eve nodded. "Alright."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve wandered through the forest of Mirkwood, following what seemed to be an endless trail of bodies. She was considerably sickened by the way some of them were mutilated and smashed, but kept her head up and moved on. She found three injured dwarves huddled together and set a marker—a tall red flag—next to them since she wasn't able to carry them back.

After about ten minutes of finding no one, Eve came upon an Elf propped up against a tree, his eyes wide with fear. Blood spilled from his mouth but he had no other bodily injuries… his tongue had been cut out. The Dark Maiden felt the contents of her stomach quickly rising north, but she turned away and soon her churning belly settled down. Then, using all her resolve, she crouched next to the Elf.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently, brushing a bloodied strand of raven hair from his face.

The Elf shook his head wildly, blue eyes darting towards the trees repeatedly.

"What?" Eve looked over her shoulder, but saw nothing. "Calm down, it's fine. You're going to be just fine."

Now the injured Elf looked positively terrified as he waved his hands wildly, his gesture obviously meaning 'run.'

Eve narrowed her eyes as she looked around. A twig snapped somewhere in the distance and she tentatively drew Legolas's dagger from her belt. "Who's there?"

There was a rustling in the leaves to her left and a soft whimpering sound drifted through the air. Thinking it was an injured soldier, Eve hurried over.

"Is anyone there?"

Behind her, she could hear the injured Elf choking out incomprehensible sounds and struggling to his feet. Eve turned around and looked at him, exasperated.

"What is it?"

The Elf pulled a dagger from his boot and hurled it in the general direction of Eve, who screamed as the dagger flew right past her ear to embed itself in something fleshy a few inches from her ear. A wave of dread washing over her, Eve turned her head slightly and saw a dark gray-skinned chest. She lifted her eyes and looked up into the face of a slant-eyed, swart creature with long black dreadlocks falling over its shoulders. It lifted its thick hand and wrapped its fingers around her neck. She screamed.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"AAAAAAAAH!"

The shout reached King Legolas's ears as he searched for any sign of life within the piles of corpses everywhere. A sharp pang of terror and worry hit his chest and he quickly called for Haldir and Philendel. They too had heard the horrified scream and had come running when it occurred, so it was not long before they arrived in Legolas's presence.

"Eve is the one who screamed with such agony. We must find her! Hurry!" he said before bounding off into the forest, Haldir and Philendel heading in different directions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Queen Aeriela! Queen Aeriela!" shouted Rienen, bursting into the castle.

Aeriela's ran gracefully down the hall, her hair tousled. "What is it, _shaalth_?"

"Word is spreading quickly. The Dark Maiden has gone missing! King Legolas is about to go fight the goblins himself!" exclaimed the lieutenant.

"No…" whispered Aeriela, fear hitting her right in the chest and briefly constricting her breath. "We must find her!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"EVE!" shouted Legolas. He found another red flag next to a bunch of dwarves. They pointed towards the north and the king nodded thankfully before running off. Running at a desperately quick pace, he soon came upon an Elf with raven hair leaning against a tree, his tongue obviously cut out. "Have you seen the Dark Maiden, brother Elf?"

The injured Elf nodded, then hung his head gravely and pointed to the dagger lying a few feet away on the ground, covered in blood.

Legolas quickly recognized the dagger as his own. He gagged, nearly losing the contents of his stomach, but kept it down and walked determinedly over to the bloodied weapon and picked it up. An arrow lay quietly beside it.

"_Yrch_?"

Legolas turned around to face Aeriela, whose face was flushed and her demeanor uncharacteristically shaken. He shook his head. "No. These arrows are not the ones used by the Orcs or goblins and this one was placed her deliberately. I have not seen an arrow of this kind since…"

Aeriela stepped forward. "Since when?"

"Since the Ring was destroyed." He paused and picked up the arrow. "This is the arrow of an Uruk-hai."

TBC…


	7. The Temptation of the King

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.

**Storm** **Clouds**

By

Brin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter** **7: Temptation** **of the** **King**

"Maybe it was just a coincidence."

"No, it wasn't. I found my knife, which I had given to her just a few minutes before the scream was heard, covered in blood on the ground next to an Uruk-hai arrow. Doesn't that seem a bit suspicious to you?"

"The Uruk-hai have been dead for thousands of years! How is it possible that one of them could just… _appear_ in this era?"

"Look, I don't have a clue and frankly I don't care _how _or _why_ it is here, I just want to get Eve back and I want her back alive!" shouted Legolas, slamming his fist on the table and glaring at the various people standing around him.

Philendel shook his head. "You're going to get yourself killed, and all for a woman as well!"

"Then let it be! If I am to meet my demise this moon, let it be! I don't give a damn about myself, understand that! If she dies it will be all my fault and I'd rather _die_ than live with that guilt for all eternity!" the Mirkwood King yelled. "I killed Gareund, a skilled if not tainted political leader. I lost Elrond, the greatest Lord of all time… and now Eve, a Daughter of Gondor destined for greatness, has been kidnapped by the very incarnates of evil. How many more great souls will have to die before we end this?"

"It will take at least a week to assemble the four armies. After that, it'll take us at least another week to get them ready to fight as one. By then she'll be dead! Besides, what does one mere mortal mean to you?!" growled Thrupolan.

Legolas turned to face his relation with narrowed blue eyes. He grabbed the shorter Elf by the throat and held him a few feet off the ground. "_Listen!_"

Thrupolan choked for air, but Legolas only tightened his grip.

"That 'mere mortal' is worth ten times more to me than _you!_ If she dies, you die with her for making such comments!" He dropped Thrupolan back into his chair then gripped his face tightly with one hand. "I want no more trouble from you, understood?"

Thrupolan nodded vigorously and Legolas let go of his face.

"Now, here is what is going to happen. I'm going to ask a lot of each of you, but it is what needs to be done and if we succeed it may make the war a helluva lot easier for all of us." Legolas paused long enough to pull a scroll from his pocket and place it on the table before them. "We do not have the forces to launch a full-scale attack on the goblin headquarters… we do, however, have the means to deploy a rescue group consisting of your best specially-trained warriors…" He let his voice trail off and watched as the wheels turned inside the heads of his cabinet.

Tethir was the first to pick up the pen lying next to the scroll and determinedly scribble down his name. "I will help you," he said, holding out his hand.

Legolas hesitated a moment, then firmly shook the mortal's outstretched hand. "Thank you, Tethir."

Haldir was the next to sign his name, and he did so in runes. "It would be a great insult to you if I did not help rescue this damsel in distress," he said, grinning. "Besides, if you perish in flames _someone_ has got to take the hero credit and get the girl…"

"Very funny," said Legolas, laughing in spite of himself. "We'll just see who gets the girl in the end."

"Oh, so you're admitting to wanting this young maiden?" piped Madoc, stepping forward and signing the scroll. "King Legolas! I never would've thought…" he scolded mockingly, shaking his finger at the Elf.

Legolas hung his head. "I just can't win."

"Nope," Kiendos said, also scratching his name onto the list. "I'm afraid that, in the presence of such intelligent and witty creatures such as ourselves, one cannot win verbal battle should one even attempt to."

"Anyone else?" asked the Mirkood Elf, grabbing the scroll and changing the subject.

From the back of the room, Gimli shouldered his way through the crowd. "I'll give it a shot. After all, you need sensible beings on this mission!"

"Then why are _you_ coming, Master Dwarf?" growled Philendel, snatching the scroll away and signing it as soon as Gimli was done. The dwarf growled at him and Legolas laughed.

"Friends, friends, do not give each other such hard times," said the Mirkwood Elf, rolling up the scroll and placing it on his mantle. "Our fates are sealed." He stepped back and took a deep breath. "Six companions… very well." He shook his head as he regarded them. "Never as good as the originals. You are all pitiful and scary."

The others laughed.

"If that is your idea of a pep-talk, then I think we should all perish in flames right where we stand," said Tethir, grinning.

Legolas shrugged. "Anyone planning to leave after that remark?"

They all shook their heads.

"It is settled then. Come, we must work quickly," said Legolas as he began towards the door.

"Do you have a plan?" asked Tethir, moving to follow him.

"Of course I do… Philendel, Madoc, come with me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nina Ortega, sitting at the desk of a Seattle hospital, looked up as the sliding doors opened and three men entered. One was tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. The second had blonde hair as well, but his eyes were the color of Nina's silver necklace and he was at least a head taller than the first. Yet the third man could've been mistaken for a small child had she not seen his face.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" she asked the first man.

He turned his piercing blue eyes to her, his face emotionless. "We are here to see our friend, Jack, on the third floor."

"I'm sorry; are you family? I'll need some I.D." The nurse eyed them suspiciously, but the one who had spoken flashed a badge in her face and she gulped.

"Detective Christopher Bowman, Miss-" He glanced at her nametag "-Ortega."

The nurse bit her lip and waved them by. "Go on."

"Thank you, Miss," said the tallest one, smiling kindly as they walked by.

Nina nodded and, as soon as they were gone, felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She sighed with relief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris, Phillip, and Matthew made it through the hospital without further interference from the nurses and doctors, who seemed to be keeping their distance from the mysterious three men. They came to Jack's door and entered.

Jack was just pulling on his shirt as they came in.

"Are you ready?" asked Chris, closing the door behind Matthew.

"Yeah. Just a second," replied Jack, looking up at Phillip and then down at Matthew. "Hi, nice to meet ya. I'd introduce myself right now, but we're kind of in the middle of a crisis, eh?"

Phillip's sterling silver eyes swept the room. "Get the records."

Matthew went over and grabbed the clipboard from beside Jack's bed. "Got em." He handed the papers to Chris, who promptly tore them up, tossed the shreds into the shower, and diluted the ink from them with a rush of hot water.

"Indoor plumbing. Gotta love it," joked Phillip, who was tossing all of Jack's belongings into a suitcase. "We have to get you out of here without signing anything. Loose signatures are the last things we need right now."

Jack nodded. "How are we gonna achieve that?"

Matthew opened the window. "Only one way."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So why are we coming here again?" asked Staci Parker of her boyfriend, Randy Thomas, as they pulled into the parking lot of a Seattle hospital.

"Because I have an 'F' in Mr. Garcia's class and if I don't suck up to him now, while he's high on morphine in the hospital, I won't have the time to do it later! Then I'll get kicked off the football team!" insisted Randy, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Besides, what's the worse that could happen?"

Staci was about to supply a sharp retort to that question, but then Randy's eyes grew as wide as saucers and he braced his arms on the steering wheel. She looked up and—

"AAAAAAAH!!!" both teenagers screamed as they saw a man on the third floor jump out of a window.

"Holy shit! He's crazy!" Randy shouted.

"And he's coming right for us!" Staci added, holding her hands over her face.

BOOM!

The man landed on the hood of their car in a kneeling position, one hand steadying himself so he didn't fall off. He raised his head, looked at the two teens sitting inside the car, then jumped onto the roof and bounded away. Staci and Randy turned around to watch as he disappeared behind a truck.

"What the hell?!" Randy looked up at the window again.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two more men came flying down from the window in a swan dive. One landed on the hood of the car, the other on the hood of a van next to them. Unlike the first man, however, they didn't spare the two teenagers a glance before running off.

Staci and Randy, hearts racing, sat straight as boards in the car for a few minutes before a tiny man emerged from the hospital front doors, threw a few hundred dollar bills through the window, and ran off in the same direction of the other three men.

"We're leaving!" The tires screeched.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, we've got your partner, now what?" asked Matthew from the back seat as they sped down the street in Chris's black Benz.

"Well…" Chris glanced over his shoulder and switched lanes. "I'd say this nasty-looking, gray-skinned fellow in the truck could tell us." He adjusted his rearview mirror.

Phillip and Matthew turned around and stared out the rear windshield was a black Chevy truck pummeled down the road after them. "He's gonna kill someone!" shouted Phillip.

"Hold on to your ears, fellas," said Chris before taking a hard right and veering off the road into a plot of abandoned warehouses. The Chevy followed. "This is gonna hurt."

"Don't get in over your head, Chris," warned Jack, checking to make sure his seatbelt was buckled. "This car cost _a lot_…"

Chris merely smirked to himself and swerved down an empty ally, the truck nearly spinning out of control as the driver slammed on the brakes and turned sharply to follow them. Despite his efforts, however, the shiny new Chevy slammed into a rusted metal trashcan and received a nasty dent.

"Whoohoo! You liked that, huh?!" shouted Chris, obviously enjoying himself. "Well, I got lots more!" He slammed his foot onto the gas and sped off, the tires squealing.

"You're gonna get us all killed!" shouted Phillip, hitting his fist on the back of the driver's chair.

"Oh come on, don't be such a baby," Chris replied.

Ripping down another narrow ally, Chris glanced over his shoulder to see the truck barreling after him, hitting trash cans and piles of metal scraps repeatedly while Chris's compact car maneuvered through the obstacles easily.

"Uh… Chris, I think you'd better get moving!" shouted Jack.

Chris twisted his body around in his seat and saw that the truck's passenger was leaning out the window holding a metal crossbow with a nasty-looking steel arrow.

"Well that sure as hell isn't good," mumbled the detective. "Hold on." He hit an open lot and swerved around to face the truck head-on. "Anyone up for a game of dare?"

"Don't you do it!" shouted Matthew, jumping into the front seat and trying to take over the wheel. "Don't you do it!"

Chris push him back. "Relax, guys. I got this under control." Shoving the gas pedal to the floor, he headed straight towards the oncoming truck. The passenger shot the crossbow and the arrow embedded itself in the bumper of Chris's car. "Damn it!" he shouted, not wanting to think about the damage being done to his baby. "That is IT! You are DEAD, buddy!"

The Chevy seemed a little hesitant to play this bluffing game, but after a few moments hit the gas and sped at top speed towards the car.

Chris braced his arms on his steering wheel, pinning the truck's driver with an icy blue glare. They were close enough now for Chris to tell that it was an Orc sitting in the driver's seat with a goblin leaning out the window. He smirked, but his heart was beating hard in his ears and sweat formed on the side of his face as the two automobiles barreled towards each other.

"You damn idiot! Stop! STOP!" Phillip was shouting.

Twenty meters… fifteen meters… Chris's hands almost slid off the steering wheel as his palms became sweaty with anxiety… nine meters… six meters… Jack looked about ready to take the wheel… three meters…

SCCCCCCRRRCCCH!!!

Chris hit the brakes as the truck, at the very last moment, swerved and, having nowhere to go, ran right into one of the buildings. The wall cracked and groaned. Chris threw the car into reverse and backed away just as a mountain of drywall and concrete came crashing down on the truck.

"I'm gonna kill you!" shouted Matthew, immediately hurling himself into the front seat and grabbing Chris in a headlock.

Jack and Phillip laughed as the little hobbit banged Chris's head against the dashboard repeatedly.

"Okay, okay, that's enough," said Jack as his friend began to turn a bit red. He pulled them apart and firmly sat Matthew in the back seat once again. "Calm down."

Matthew glared at Chris, but did nothing more.

"Got quite a grip there, little man," mumbled Chris, rubbing his neck as he opened the car door and stepped out. "Jack, cover me."

Jack pulled a dagger from the glove compartment, completely ignoring the Glock sitting in there peacefully. "Gotcha."

Chris nodded and slid over to the truck, peering inside suspiciously. "Hello?" he called.

Everything inside the smashed truck was still, so he climbed over a pile of drywall and came closer. The other three men watched with their breaths held. As he came to the window, Chris noticed, much to his dismay, that _there was no one inside._ The truck was totally _empty_ except for a small scrap of paper on the seat. He picked it up. It read:

_Thranduilion_,__

_Fear for your_ _friend. If you do not find and_ _come to our lair by midnight tomorrow with the Book in your hands she will die and her body will be posted as a sign to the Good Races what will happen should you dare oppose_ _the goblins._

Chris crumpled the note in his hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve groaned and opened her eyes to find herself lying on the ground on a patch of moist, cool grass. There were silver and gold trees all around her, towering even taller than the ones in Mirkwood. A few feet away was what looked like a big bird bath and behind that a beautiful fountain. She struggled to sit up.

"You're awake," said a soft voice.

Eve turned around and was faced with a beautiful, slightly aged woman with flowing blonde hair down to her waist and an elegant white gown pooling around her feet. A white tiara sat upon her head and she literally glowed in the darkness like a star, providing the only light in the small area. "Who are you? Where am I?"

The woman smiled. "I am Galadriel, the late Queen of Lothlórien."

"The 'late' Queen?"

Galadriel nodded. "I am not living, nor am I totally dead. I live here now, in this connecting realm between the two extremes… and you are in my presence because I bear a warning to you, Dark Maiden of Gondor."

Eve instinctively bowed her head as the Elf moved forward. "What is that warning?"

Queen Galadriel knelt in front of Eve and kissed her on the forehead, cupping her face in her silky white hands. "You are one of my few descendants Eve. In your blood runs the blood of King Aragorn and my granddaughter, Queen Arwen. My dear granddaughter's Elven blood has been all but doused in the many thousands years that have passed, but it is still there. I don't doubt you have never been terribly ill. Elven blood has strengthened your body, but it also strengthens your soul considerably in times of great mourning and grief, and for that you should be grateful."

"Why? Why would I need a strong soul?" Eve was growing alarmed. "Is something going to happen?!"

Galadriel dropped her hands from Eve's face. "King Legolas is in danger… grave danger. Right now he is teetering on the edge of sanity, and since your arrival in his life he has been slowly regaining his balance… but the force of evil is working to pull him down once again. He will be tempted to use the Book to save you, the one thing that has the means and will to drive him over the edge, but I do not know if he will resort to such measures... he loves you very much." Her eyes softened. "What do you feel for him?"

Eve's mouth opened and closed a few times before she could speak. "I do not know for sure, but if he were to die… I think I would die right along with him."

The Lórien Elf smiled. "And it is that love within your soul that can save him from a most unfortunate death."

"What must I do?" asked Eve, standing up.

"That… I cannot tell you, because not even I know for sure. But I can show you a few things that might help you in your quest…" She rose to her feet and walked as gracefully as a cloud to the fountain.

Eve followed. "I must tell you… I am not courageous by any means. I'm very much afraid."

Galadriel picked up a silver pitcher and filled it with the clear water of the fountain, then ventured over t o the bowl in the middle of the small clearing and slowly poured the water out. "To be brave is not feeling no fear… to be brave is to feel fear and push it aside; to use its driving force as the foundation of the courageous actions you take." She set the pitcher down and stepped aside. "Will you look into the mirror?"

"What will I see there?"

"Maybe your reflection… maybe… something more."

Eve warily moved forward and peeked over the edge of the silver bowl. The water swirled and churned, then came together to form an image:

_^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~~~~~~~~~~_

_"Sometimes…_ _people do things that… that seem crazy to others, but is perfectly sensible in their minds. When Legolas did what he did… it was out of pure and undying devotion to you, Eve," said Madoc, wiping the tears from Eve's face._

_"I just wish things had been different between us," sobbed the young woman._

_Madoc placed both hands on her shoulders. "Do not attempt to show that you regret any part of your time with him. I know you don't. Tell me that you don't regret it."_

_"I don't regret it."_

_"Good." He hugged her close. "Such times cannot be faced with a weak will, Eve. You must take your life by the horns and deal with what is given to you… be strong. Always be strong."_

_^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~~~~~~~~~~_

Legolas, crouched against the dark, moist wall of the cave, clutched his tattered arm and gritted his teeth. Hot-white tears burned his eyes from the pain, but he remained conscious. A scouting group of goblins came down the hall and he waited until they had passed before standing up and limping away into the darkness…

_"Yes…_ _Run, King Legolas… run," said a shadowy figure as he watched the Elf's retreat._

_^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~~~~~~~~~~_

_"I" Legolas punched an Orc across the face and ducked a sword swinging towards him from behind "WILL NOT" He dropped to the ground, kicked the legs out from under five of the Orcs surrounding him, making sure they hit their heads on the ground nice and hard "SURRENDER!!!!" He threw down his weapons and held out his hands towards the oncoming Orcs. _"Sinome, agarwaen a er, carca mereth draug quettar! Nai na engwa a firn!_ {In this place, bloodstained and alone, fangs feast without words. May it be thou is sickly and dead!}" A bolt of light in the form of a giant wolf shot from his hands, destroying all Orcs within a fifty-foot radius by clamping down on them with its gleaming fangs. As the beast faded, Legolas fell to the ground, his skin pale and his breathing ragged._

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas crouched on the roof of another building, watching the entire exchange in complete silence. He could see Eve in the window with her back turned to him, shoulders shaking with heart-wrenching sobs.

"Godspeed, my love…Godspeed," he whispered, pressing two fingers to his lips and then holding them up towards Eve's form. She moved from the window. Legolas got up and bounded away.

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~~~~~~~~~~

Then, the water disappeared in a puff of smoke. Eve looked up at Galadriel, who was eyeing her warily.

"Your pulse quickens and your heart beats out of your chest… Do not be troubled, my child," said the Queen carefully. "The mirror has shown you what you need to see."

Eve took a calming breath. "Why did you show me this?! Are these all things that will happen or may happen?!"

"The mirror shows many things… but we will not know if what it shows is a set destiny, for you know not what will happen in the future beyond a few seconds. Fate…" The Elven maiden paused, "is unpredictable and without doubt changeable." She moved forward and placed a gentle kiss on Eve's forehead. "Have strength, my child, and do not forget what has taken place here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve bolted upright with a gasp. She couldn't see straight, her mouth was as dry as cotton, and she ached from head to toe. Deciding that sitting up wasn't a very good idea, Eve leaned back against the wall behind her.

"I see you're awake."

Eve looked around in alarm. She wasn't in that forest anymore. Everything around her was dark and dirty. There was no fountain. No glowing Elven Queen. Had it all been a dream?

"Look at me."

Alarmed and confused, Eve had no choice but to comply. She looked up and saw a black figure towering over her. "Who are you? Where am I? What's going on?"

"I am Draeg and you, my dear girl, are locked up in one of my prison chambers," he said, his voice incredibly deep and unexpectedly smooth. "You have been kidnapped in order to bring about the fall of King Legolas. Are you able to see yet?"

Eve shook her head.

"Your vision will return shortly," he paused briefly and Eve could hear him shuffling around the room, "I am, as you probably don't know, an Uruk-Hai warrior, the last of my kind. Your meager human mind most likely cannot fathom what exactly I am, but let it be known to you that my presence strikes fear into the hearts of even the bravest of Elven warriors."

Just as Draeg had said, Eve's vision was beginning to clear up. She could now see that she was sitting in a room with a heavy steel door and dirt walls. The only light came from candles hanging from the ceiling, carefully placed out of reach. Draeg had his backed turned as he messed with something in his hands.

"Legolas will rescue me," she said defiantly. "He will not let me stay here."

Draeg laughed derisively. "Oh, I'm counting on it." He turned around and Eve gasped.

She had gotten a brief glimpse of this beast earlier… but now she could barely believe her eyes. Eight feet all, with arms and legs as big as tree trunks, eyes yellowish green, and skin as dark gray as the sky before a thunderstorm. Dreadlocks fell down its back, adding to its wild appearance.

"What do you mean?!" she asked, struggling to her feet by pushing herself up the wall.

Draeg smiled evilly. "It means, my dear mortal, that you are been used as a trap for your lover-boy, Legolas. So, you can start blaming yourself for his death right now."

Eve glared at him. "Legolas has lived for thousands and thousands of years. What makes you think that you'll be the one to kill him?"

Draeg held up the sword he had been messing with and made a show of how sharp the edges of the blade were. "Because I have the one weapon that will do the job without fail," he said. "All it takes… is a little slice… and King Legolas of Mirkwood will be no more."

"What do you mean?"

"This sword has a thin layer of Orkish poison on the edges…if I am able to break the skin—which I will—then all I will have to do is sit back and wait for the poison to do it's duty… his death is inevitable now," declared Draeg, baring his yellow teeth in a grin.

"If you kill him… you will bring the wrath of not just the Elves upon you, but the wrath of the Dwarves, Hobbits, and any human I can find!" barked Eve defiantly.

The Uruk-hai laughed at her courage and placed the tip of the sword under her chin, tilting her head up so he could get a better look at her. "You are a stout-hearted little girl… but that won't save your King. His fate has been decided, whether you like it or not. It has already been decided."

"Oh yeah, and how do you know?!"

"Because I have studied for many years the mind of the King of Mirkwood. His sanity is failing, and all it will take to break him will be a simple tragedy… such as the death of someone very close to him or the temptation to use the Book to prevent that death… think about it. I know you're smarter than that."

Eve's eyes widened. "You asshole! Don't you dare—"

Draeg slapped her across the face. "You are in _no_ position to make demands! I suggest you sit back and mind your tongue before I cut it right out of your mouth!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas entered what had been unofficially dubbed 'the War Room' and walked over to the 'War Table,' on which was sprawled a detailed map of the underground of Seattle. Gimli and Tethir were looking over it carefully. "What do you have so far?" he asked.

The dwarf circled a large black area with a red marker. "I sent ten of my dwarves to scour the area here, here, and here," he gestured to three other places he had circled, "and one of them has reported back to finding some sort of underground passageway leading to a cavern… a big cavern."

"How did you find this?" asked Legolas, his eyes scanning and memorizing the map.

Gimli scoffed. "The dwarves have always been masters of geography and the underground, Master Elf!" he said gruffly. "Only, these days, instead of digging, we use state-of-the-art technology, such as ultrasounds to bounce back images."

Legolas felt a pang in his heart as Gimli referred to him as 'Master Elf,' just as his ancestor had done. He shook the nostalgic feeling from his head and rubbed his face for a bit before replying, "As long as it works."

At that moment, the door swung open and a dwarf ambled in with a triumphant look shining out from underneath his beard. "I have found it!" he declared, handing Gimli an enlarged section of the War Map.

Gimli spread it out on the table and bellowed in triumph, "So you have!" He looked up at the Elven King and bowed his head. "We now have half of the required tools to launch an attack on the Orcs: the location of Moria."

"I will," said Aragorn heavily. "You followed my lead almost to disaster in the snow, and have said no word of blame. I will follow your lead now – if this last warning does not move you. It is not the Ring, nor of us that I am thinking, but of you, Gandalf. And I say to you: if you pass the doors of Moria, beware!"

Legolas put a hand to his head and grunted, the memory for some reason causing him pain. An aching feeling was forming in his head, much like a migraine, but somehow different… more like a longing or craving for something… something…

Tethir steadied him. "Are you alright, King Legolas?"

Nodding, Legolas clenched his fists. "I am fine, but for now we need the other half to our attack."

"Which will be provided by me," said Tethir.

"And me," interrupted Haldir from the back of the room. He stepped forward and clamped his hand on the Mirkwood Elf's shoulder. "We know what we must do."

Legolas inclined his head. "Thank you, my friends."

Haldir squeezed Legolas's shoulder and motioned to Tethir. They left the room along with all the other Elves present. Gimli and his captain, talking amongst themselves, also exited, leaving the king by himself.

_'Tis a pity she_ _should_ _die this way…_

Legolas's head snapped up and he peered around the room. The Book was here. He could feel its presence… but where?

_It would be so easy_ _if Massster Legolassss_ _used Masssster Thranduil's powers_…__

"Don't you dare…" began Legolas, as he felt a tugging sensation on his mind. "Don't you dare try and trick me into this! I will not fall to your trickery!"

The Dark Maiden is in danger, Massster, and you will fail to save her unless you use all your power…

One of the desk drawers popped open and the Book made its presence known. Legolas stared at it, eyes wide with horror, fear, and hatred.

All you must do is use Book for short time… then you can live happily ever after with your beautiful Dark Maiden… think of the possibilities… the Orcs will be blown away… Masster, you must think like the Legolasss of Middle-Earth!

Legolas gulped. The Book was right. If he had the power of the most ancient and secret Elven magic behind him, he would be unstoppable… He could stop the Orcs with minimal effort. The Book opened and from its pages sprang an image of Eve, manacled to a stone wall, half-dead and beaten to a bloody pulp. She raised her head and smiled at Legolas as though he were there. Blood spilled from her swollen and bruised lips.

"NOOOO!" he screamed, jumping forward. The image dissipated. Legolas, his lip quivering and sweat forming on his brow, picked up the Book.

This is the only way, Masssster… with me by your side, the Dark Maiden will be saved and the Elven empire brought back to power!

Legolas rubbed his hand over the leather binding. "I… I can't… I promised never again…"

The Book showed Legolas yet another image. This time Haldir was fighting off a band of huge Orcs, one of his arms cut off. An Orc punched him in the side, kicked him in the stomach, and stabbed him through the chest. The Lórien Elf gasped and fell to the ground, one name escaping his cold lips, "Legolas…."

This is what will happen. You must prevent this.

Legolas took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I will do it, but after this war is done… you will never be seen again."

So be it, Massster. You are the Massster of all… 

Pushing the last regretful thought from his mind, he turned to the first page and began to read those damning words…

"'_One Ring to rule them all_,__

_One Ring to find them_.

_One Ring to bring them all_,__

_And in the darkness bind them!_'"__

A white stream of light shot from the Book and began to swarm around his body. He continued:

"'Silivren halla ve i mellyrn, mírër glîn, a tauri dui le groth, astaldo dacili oma lye ywalme!'" 

As he finished, the white light formed a thick, dense cloud and shot into his eyes, then drifted into his entire body until he glowed like a star. Then, as soon as it had appeared, the light was gone. Legolas fell to the ground, panting. He lay there a few moments, then stood and clenched his fist. He could feel it; the pure power flowing through his veins like ambrosia. All the weight of the years had been taken off his shoulders; he felt light as a feather and as strong as when he was a young Elf, just coming of age, maybe even stronger than that. With the Book in his hand and thoughts of Eve in his heart, he left the war room, using his powers to close the door behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Haldir gestured to Tethir and they both moved forward through the brush on their elbows and knees. A goblin guard post stood just fifteen feet away. The Lórien Elf waved his troops forward and they also crawled up until they were level with their commanders.

"What do you think?" whispered Tethir.

Haldir cocked his crossbow. "We need to take them all out in one assault," he said quietly. "We can't have them making a ruckus." Tethir nodded and held up his hand. After a few seconds, he pointed forward.

Upon his command, thirty arrows flew through the night and killed the fifteen goblins, each enemy receiving two arrows to the chest. There were fifteen dull thuds and Haldir and Tethir marched the advance party onward. From the map Gimli had given them, it was only a matter of meters before they came to the new entrance of Moria.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas walked into the main hall to find Aeriela conversing quietly with Thrupolan. She looked at him briefly, then did a _huge _double take. He simply stared back at her as the she-elf moved forward, her face twisted with fear.

"You… you didn't…?" Aeriela whispered, coming to stand before him. She reached up and was about to touch his face, but hesitated. "Legolas, you didn't…"

"I had no choice," he said quietly. "Eve will die if I don't."

Aeriela's heart shattered. He had finally been broken, his mind made vulnerable. Tears sprang to her eyes. This was it then. She would never see her beloved Legolas ever again… only this shell of a man… only this, this younger version of Thranduil. All their years together suddenly had no meaning… Legolas was dead now, and in his place stood a stranger to the Elven world. She turned and ran away sobbing.

"Wait, Aeriela!" called Legolas in despair. "Aeriela, please understand!!"

She turned the corner and disappeared, her sobs getting quieter and quieter until he could hear her no more. Thrupolan turned to his cousin and shook his head. "You have made a grave mistake, Legolas."

The King of Mirkwood, tears stinging his eyes, nodded. "I know. I know."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Moria, Draeg laughed wickedly as he entered the room. "It has happened," he said to his prisoner, Eve. "The balance has shifted. Legolas, the King of Mirkwood, has fallen!"

Eve shook her head. "No… he wouldn't…"

"Oh, but he would… and has… Your beloved is as good as dead!" He grabbed her face with his meaty hand. "Legolas is no more."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All around the world, Elves felt the loss of their King's soul. The wind howled, the water churned, and the mountains groaned. It was over.

TBC…


	8. Love is To...

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.

A/Ns:

**_a._** BEWARE, the rating _has_ gone up for what will take place in this chapter, including language and violence! Movieverse flashbacks.

**_b._** I want to make it known that I will be posing two alternate endings after this chapter. One will be a happy ending and one will be a sad, morbid ending (hehe).

**Storm** **Clouds**

****

By

Brin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter** **8:** **Love is** **To…**

Tethir returned to Legolas's castle to find the king waiting for him in the entrance hall, pacing back and forth anxiously. "King Legolas, we have set a cleared perimeter for us to enter Moria without hindrance. What now?"

Legolas looked at him briefly, then went back to pacing. "I want just the group who signed up to help me to go in. We'll call for the armies later."

Confused, Tethir stepped forward. "What are you talking about? We cannot fight Moria all by ourselves!"

The Elven King raised his hand towards Tethir. "We will need no army." Lifting his arm a bit, he pulled Tethir into the air. "I have all the power we need right here, in my hands." 

He lowered a shocked Tethir to the ground. "Your ancestors would not be so amazed."

"How… how do you do that?" asked the mortal, eyes wide.

Legolas picked up a leather-bound book that had been sitting on a nearby table. "This is the key, my father's Book."

Tethir shook his head. "I've heard the legends of that Book; of it's terrible power. Why do you use it? It ate your father's mind, as it will yours!"

"No!" shouted the Elven King. "I will not. The Book will be tossed away; hidden in the depths of the Earth after this is over. It has promised me that it will not consume me." He ran his hands over the binding. "It's mine… My father gave it to me. It gives me power."

Tethir's face grew grave. "It's too late," he whispered, lowering his eyes. He removed his helmet bowed his head. "We have lost one of the great Ancient Kings."

Legolas, too preoccupied with his precious Book, didn't hear.

"Anyway, King, what do we do now?" continued the human, this time louder.

"I told you what to do. We attack in two hours. Tell everyone to meet me at the edge of the perimeter."

Tethir bowed at the waist. "It will be done."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Legolas stood dressed in nothing but jeans in front of his bedroom mirror, holding up his old outfit, which had somehow been preserved over the thousands of years. Maybe it was the Elven cloth that had prevailed, he didn't quite know, but whatever had happened, the feel of the fabric and the smell of the outdoors calmed his churning soul a bit. His mind cleared for a small period of time and in that moment, all he could think about was Eve. From her face to her sense of humor, he burned this unflawed vision of her in his mind. It would be the only thing he would have to hold onto forever, no matter what happened this day.

He slipped off his jeans and put the outfit on, pleased to find it still fit perfectly. His hair, which had grown to its former length in the magic – for lack of a better word – realm of Mirkwood, he tied back from his face the same way he had done when he was traveling as one of the nine Walkers. Then, going over to a rusted old chest in the corner, he opened the lock and pulled from it his old bow, given to him by his first bow master, and a quiver full of Lórien arrows. Slinging these over his shoulder, he stuck Aragorn's old dagger in his boot and looked himself up and down in the mirror. The sight of himself was haunting, bringing back memories… some, more than others, he would like to forget.

_"NOOOO!" shouted Frodo Baggins as Gandalf fell from the Bridge of Khazâd-dûm. _

_The Fellowship stood, stricken, except for Boromir, who reacted quickly and dragged the hobbits away from the pit. "ARAGORN!" he shouted to the Ranger._

_Aragorn, coming to his senses, ran from Moria to join them outside._

_Legolas stood upon a boulder, staring down at the forests of Lórien below. This couldn't be happening. How could Gandalf…be dead?! His mind whirled with anger and the utmost sorrow. Now what?! How could they survive without the great wizard's wisdom?! It seemed his fun and amusement at having such an adventure was coming to a close._

_"Legolas, get them up." Aragorn's voice interrupted the Elf's thoughts. The prince could only respond with a dazed look upon his face._

_~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~~~~~_

_As he was filling his silver pitcher given to him by Haldir with water, Legolas Greenleaf heard sweet Elven voices sound in the night, full of sorrow and mourning._

_"Mithrandir, Mithrandir! A Randir Vithren!_

_Ú-reniathach i amar galen_

_I reniad lín ne môr, nuithannen_

_In gwidh ristennin, i fae narchannen_

_I Lach Anor ed ardhon gwannen_

_Calad veleg, ethuiannen."_

_"A lament for Gandalf," he said aloud, looking around at the beautiful mellyrn._

_"What do they say of him?" asked young Merry as he settled in._

_Legolas looked to the small hobbit. "I haven't the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near."_

Legolas laughed bitterly, the sound foreign and most depressing. Almost three hundred years had gone by and the grief was _still_ near to him. He sighed. The horrible things he had put his loved ones through… It just wasn't right. All his life he had let them sacrifice their life, their love, when it could've been prevented. Boromir, Elrond, his mother, his wife, his two sons, his best friend… It was like his love was a curse.

He slammed his fist into the wall. That was going to change. No longer would people die for him. Now was his chance. He was going to die for someone else.

Sitting at his desk, Legolas, King of Mirkwood, wrote out his will and parting words to all the ones he might have to leave behind. For the first time in a thousand years, he was going to do something right… and stick with it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve was jerked awake as the door to her prison cell burst open and a band of five goblins entered, cackling amongst themselves and looking at her with hungry yellow eyes. She stood and faced them down with fierce determination. Draeg entered after the dirty little creatures, having to duck to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe.

"Time for your first dose of medicine," said the Uruk-Hai, smiling evilly at her. He snapped his fingers.

The five goblins moved forward, menacing looks on their ugly faces. Eve pressed herself against the wall and even tried to hit one as it came within reach, but her manacles slowed her movements and the goblin easily dodged her flying fist. Two held down her arms, two held down her legs, and the last one kept her head still as Draeg came over holding a goblet full of a frothing liquid.

Eve shook her head. "I won't do it!"

"Oh, but you will," said Draeg. "This poison is almost irreversible unless someone gets the antidote from me." He held up a small vial which was on a chain around his neck. "So if you try to escape, you will only die in agony within a matter of hours."

Eve gulped.

"Open her mouth," commanded the Uruk-hai.

The goblin holding her head covered her nose with his hand. Eve panicked and began to struggle, but the nearly inhuman strength of the goblins was barely swayed by her roughest efforts. She tried holding her breath, but her struggling only worsened the situation and she finally opened her mouth. In that split second, Draeg poured the liquid down her throat.

"AAAAAH!" she screamed as the liquid burned its way down her throat. The goblins released the young woman and she slumped to the ground.

Draeg whistled and they left the room, leaving Eve writhing on the floor.

The pain was unlike anything Eve had ever felt before, and it was striking her whole body at once. It was like hot lava flowing through her veins and pooling in her joints, making her body useless; her mind nothing but blurred images and feelings. The world before her eyes melded within itself, creating an array of indistinguishable colors and shapes. But in her ear she could hear him whispering… whispering…

"I'm coming, Eve. Hold tight. I'm coming to get you…" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Philendel led the way, his booted feet making no sound as they crept through the woods a few miles outside Seattle. Behind him padded Legolas, Tethir, Madoc, Haldir, and Gimli, also being as silent as possible. It was dizzying to see all of them dressed in ancient Middle-earth garb; Legolas in his Mirkwood hunter outfit, Madoc wearing a green shirt and brown trousers, Haldir with Lórien Noble robes, Tethir dressed in an earthly-colored fabric with gauntlets and a cape, and Gimli, with his helmet that nearly covered his face and carefully crafted body armor… Philendel felt a sudden rush of homesickness, but brushed it off as he spotted their destination. He held up his hand as a signal to halt.

Legolas tiptoed forward until he was even with Philendel. "Where is the entrance?"

The European Elf pointed to a clearing. "Our scouts saw an Orc enter here."

"Okay… now how do we get in?"

Philendel timidly entered the clearing, the pale moon bathing him in light. He walked to the middle of the field and began to crawl around on the ground, searching for something hidden in the grass. From the safety of the trees, the other five companions waited silently. It took Philendel about five minutes, but he finally found what he was looking for—a rock shaped like a crescent-moon innocently sitting on the ground. He pulled it up and a section of the ground came with it, like a trap door.

Gimli gasped. "That's brilliant!" he said under his breath. "But what happened to the enchanted Gate?"

"There is still more to come," said Legolas, moving out into the open. "The Orcs do not take their lair's security lightly… my best guess is that when the Fellowship passed through here without losing but one life they had to find a new way to protect themselves from outside invasion."

"He's right," said Haldir, coming to stand next to the dark, foreboding entrance. "They will have many obstacles. Keep sharp." He paused. "Oh, and Gimli…"

"Yes?"

"Do try not to breathe so hard. You breathe so loudly even Orcs could shoot you in the dark," joked the Lórien Elf with a mischievous smile before hopping into the dark, dank of Moria.

Gimli harrumphed. "I'm not like the Gimli of the Fellowship! I have the eyes of an eagle and the ears of a wolf!"

The gathered laughed heartily… it would probably be their last laugh for a long, long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Haldir and Philendel, at the front of the group, kept watch while the others slid down the long tunnel leading into Moria, bows raised and arrows notched. Legolas was the last to enter, the Book in tow.

"Why did you bring that?!" whispered Tethir in alarm. "It gives off enough dark power to attract any goblin within thirty miles!"

Legolas smirked. "You doubt my power. I can conceal it's evil without even thinking."

Tethir shook his head and walked over to Haldir. "He's lost his mind."

Haldir, who was still paying careful attention to the black cavern all around them, simply nodded with a rueful look upon his face.

Madoc drew his sword and everyone turned around. It was glowing blue, dimly lighting the cavern around them. It was about twenty paces by twenty paces, with a large, dark doorway to their left. The hobbit shrugged as he noticed everyone was staring at him.

"Sting!" gasped Legolas, recognizing the blade. "How did you get that? I was sure it had been destroyed!"

"'Tis a family heirloom, King Legolas!" said Madoc in a matter-of-factly tone. "I am the first Baggins in over three thousand years to have the need to use it!"

"Ssh!" interrupted Philendel. "Something's coming."

They all froze.

BOOM.

Legolas shook his head, a surprising feeling of pure terror overwhelming him. His mind crept back to the first time he had entered Moria… the Balrog encounter burned his thoughts.

BOOM.

"What is it?" whispered Madoc, his words barely audible to even the Elven ears of his companions.

BOOM. BOOM.

"War drums," replied Legolas. "They're preparing an assault."

"Do they know we're here?" asked Tethir.

"Not yet," answered Haldir. "But we must be extra careful. If they are ready for war, they will have gathered any goblins and Orcs possible to them. We cannot fight all of them."

"This is folly," said Kiendos, the first words he had said all evening. "We should go back."

Legolas glared at him. "If you do, I will shoot you between the shoulder blades as you retreat like a mere coward!"

Kiendos gulped.

"Now, you all have signed a Royal scroll to help me. Your presence here means a lot to me, and I would not ask of you what I was not prepared to do myself. We are here now, and there is no turning back," said Legolas, his face softening for a brief moment.

"King Legolas is right. We have agreed to accompany him to the end, and that is what we shall do," Haldir piped in.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

"Madoc, put away your sword!" cried Philendel through clenched teeth. "The light catches their attention."

The hobbit put away his sword and pulled out a different one. They stood stark still in the darkness, waiting. Hoping. The only sound that penetrated the thick underground air was their light breathing.

Legolas licked his lips and notched an arrow to his bow. "It starts."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve awoke with a start when Draeg roughly yanked her to her feet. She still ached from whatever the hell he had given her earlier, but was able to at least stand now. "What do you want, bastard?" she growled.

Draeg smiled, baring yellow fangs. "I see someone is developing an attitude. No matter; you will be begging for death before this is over… just like your boy toy. I relish in the fact that he will finally be broken. The fact that it will be by _my_ doing is simply icing on the cake."

"You're so confident, you little coward! What makes you think you'll win? What if Legolas comes up with something you don't expect? He's a lot smarter than you say!" declared Eve, eyes full of defiance. "He'll kill you! Just watch!"

Taking her chin in his hand, Draeg leaned very, very close to the young woman. "What makes you think I don't already know every move that he makes?"

"How could you possibly know that?"

"What makes you think I will tell you?"

Eve narrowed her eyes at him. "Because I'm obviously not going to escape. Who am I gonna tell?"

Draeg laughed derisively and shoved her against the wall of the cell. "Very good. You're leaning quickly." He exited the room for a few moments, then returned holding a leather bag in his hand. From this bag he pulled a glowing glass orb. "This is a Palantír; one of the lost Seeing Stones. Using this, I can see whatever I want, whenever I want."

"Show me."

The Uruk-Hai held out his hand and placed the orb on his palm. His other hand he waved over the top, muttering quietly to himself in a strange language that Eve could barely discern from nothing more than a low growl. Soon, the orb glowed brighter and an image began to appear inside it.

"I'm getting way too much of this," muttered Eve bitterly, turning away. "Too many images. I don't want to see it! They show me nothing but pain!"  
  


Draeg grabbed her face with his free hand and forced her to look at the orb. "Open your eyes or I will cut them out of you head!"

Eve reluctantly opened her tear-filled eyes and saw what she feared most. Legolas. He was moving through a dark tunnel, five companions behind him. From his point of view, the ahead seemed empty and without hindrance… but from what Eve could see through the orb, no more than one hundred paces ahead of him stood, in complete silence, a band of about one hundred goblins and Orcs, armed and ready. The first row already had their bows pointed at the oncoming group.

"NO!" she screamed, thrashing out.

Draeg moved back, out of harm's reach and continued to cackle like a hyena at her hopeless situation. "You like that, huh?" he teased, cruelly holding the orb just out of her reach. "I would show you more for your enjoyment, but obviously all you need is another dose of your… medicine."

Eve, tears streaming down her face, glared at him. "Bastard."

"Var!" shouted Draeg. A few seconds later an Orc entered the room. "Give the girl another round of her favorite drink."

The Orc nodded his head.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll need to be watching the demise of my favorite protagonist." The Uruk-Hai left the room.

Eve looked up at the Orc then hung her head in defeat…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Stop," Legolas commanded, stiffening. This act resulted in a chain reaction, for Gimli smashed into his back, followed by Tethir, Kiendos, Philendel, and Haldir, each of them making a loud 'oof!" sound as they crashed into each other.

"Dammit, Legolas, what's wrong with you?!" growled Haldir.

"Do you hear something?" asked the King of Mirkwood, ignoring their outrage.

Philendel took a step past Legolas and closed his eyes. His face grew distraught and he pulled an arrow from his quiver. "They're ahead."

"How far?" asked Tethir, sliding his sword from its scabbard.

Legolas gave them all a grave look. "Forty paces."

Kiendos gulped. "That means…?"

"They know we're here."

Then, as if on cue, an arrow flew out of the darkness before them and planted itself in-between Legolas and Kiendos.

"Our plan is shattered!" shouted Legolas, ducking an arrow. "Kiendos, summon the forces! Go!"

Kiendos nodded, sheathing his dagger, turned, and ran off in the direction from which they came.

"_Tangado haid!_" Legolas yelled as arrows rained down upon them. "Let them come! Do not move until they are upon you!"

Had the situation been different, they would've looked quite comical stepping from side to side as if dancing to avoid the onslaught of sharp – no doubt poisoned – arrows of the goblins and Orcs. But the situation held no humor and Gimli, who was not as fast as his Elven companions, barely avoided injury as arrows sliced through his cloak.

Then, the arrows stopped. All was silent until…

CLACK.

Legolas put away his bow and drew his sword. This sound was not like the war drums they had heard earlier. This was louder.

This was worse.

"Helm's Deep," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.

"What is that sound?" asked Tethir.

"They are calling for the signal to attack; hitting the blunt ends of their weapons upon the ground," answered Legolas gravely.

"How many of them are there?" queried Madoc.

"I'd say about one hundred; maybe more, maybe less. The bottom line is that we are outnumbered at least twenty to one in this battle."

"What do we do?"

Legolas glanced over his shoulder at them. "Any of you who wish to run, do so now. I will not think any less of you for doing so. Make sure you return quickly with reinforcements."

No one moved.

"If I shall die, I shall die with my honor intact," claimed Tethir, coming to stand at the front with Legolas. "And I shall fight alongside the greatest Elf that should ever have lived, like Aragorn before me."

The goblins' pounding increased pace and intensity.

Legolas held up his hand. "Let's risk some light…" In his upturned palm formed a shard of glass that glowed bright, illuminating the tunnel that could quite possibly be their grave.

Gimli gasped at the sight before them.

The tunnel was so narrow that only five goblins could stand side by side, and there were twenty rows of the horrid little creatures, ten or fifteen Orcs mixed in. They stomped their feet and thumped their spears against the ground, just as Legolas had said, howling and babbling in their primitive language.

"What are we waiting for?! Destroy them!" shouted Philendel, moving forward.

Legolas held him back. "No! Don't provoke!"

"Do something while they are unable to attack! We will die of anticipation if we sit here and wait!" cried the silver-eyed Elf.

"You want me to do something?"

"Yes!"

Legolas released his hold on Philendel and turned to face the goblins, whose incessant pounding and growling had grown into a constant roar that filled the tunnel's crevices and resonated inside the heads of the five hoping to win a hopeless battle. The King of Mirkwood, standing proud and tall, stepped one foot in front of his four companions and pinned the goblins with a defiant stare.

"So it is that the oldest and most deadly war in the history of Middle-Earth continues, as the sun sets in the West and the moon rises above the hills," he said. "Rain drops like the tears of the dead upon the mountains, caught with the rivers that bring them to the sea where they are lost in the oceans of tears shed by the world. And it is with a sad heart that I command the ending of this war, which has forever plagued my dreams." Holding up his hand, the King of Mirkwood now spoke in his native tongue, "_Linelir, tier súl, ar vana ien tir norër mír romen an tie khil. Ungolir alag le, ortan-u mí carka a kalcarach pel-u mí dú egla coi."_

At his words the ground began to shake. Dirt fell in clods from the ceiling and great cracks appeared in the walls. From these cracks slid tiny black specks that squealed like mice. Paying no attention to the hobbit, man, and Elves, they ran straight for the goblins and Orcs. The latter, not knowing what they were facing, slowly began to back away as the dozens of creatures turned into hundreds, then into thousands; like a black lake coming to consume them.

"What are they?" asked Tethir.

Legolas, who had paled a bit and was panting, replied, "Spiders."

By this time the goblins had figured out what was crawling into the cracks of their armor and biting at their flesh, and they roared in rage. The ones that were located at the front – the archers mainly – who were most affected, started screaming and running around aimlessly, hitting themselves against each other in desperate attempt to rid their bodies of the spiders creeping into the cracks of their armor and enveloping their flesh. The pain-filled screams filled the air.

"Get ready now!" Legolas commanded, his face stern. "They're angry and their attack will come stronger, but I do believe the spiders are doing their work and will take out many; causing hindrance to their oncoming attack."

All five companions formed a line, wall to wall, weapons raised.

Then, the goblins turned towards them, eyes blazing with anger. Disregarding all discipline and sense of order, they came charging at the five with their weapons swinging blindly.

"YAAAH!" shouted Haldir as he sliced into the stream of creatures using his sword. He grabbed a spear from a dead Orc and thrust his blade forward, impaling the next three goblins in line. Then he dropped to the ground to avoid from getting his head chopped off and kicked sand into the eyes of his opponents. Screaming and clawing at their faces, they slammed into each other and created enough chaos for the Lórien Elf to do away with them with minor effort.

Madoc jumped onto a goblin's head, kicked the next in the face, and landed on an Orc's chest, knocking him to the ground with the force behind his jump while slicing the beasts around him by swinging his little sword in a circular motion. An Orc's helmet fell to his feet and he quickly adorned himself with it, adding to his collection that already consisted of several pieces of goblin weaponry and armor.

Philendel and Tethir, side by side, moved slowly forward as they attacked. The mass in front of them resembled a black sea, churning and roaring so loud it made their ears hurt. However, Philendel was 576 years old and Tethir was 26 and they both had been trained in the art of war from day one. It was second nature to them… although neither had actually ever killed anybody and they avoided their first kill as long as possible. Philendel jabbed a goblin in the face with the butt of his sword, bringing his other elbow around to smack an Orc trying to approach from the side. Tethir kicked away the sword of his current opponent and smacked it across the face with the blunt side of his sword, then shoved it backward into its comrades.

Legolas seemed to be having more success than his companions as he mowed through the enemy lines like a knife through butter. He could see reinforcements filing in from the ceilings, walls, and doorways. That meant they were concentrating their forces in this single area…

That meant he would have no problem sneaking through everywhere else. All he had to do was clear path for himself…and he had an idea. He jumped right into the middle of the goblin forces, where they were densest. They all turned and began to attack him with staggering force.

"I" Legolas punched an Orc across the face and ducked a sword swinging towards him from behind "WILL NOT" He dropped to the ground, kicked the legs out from under five of the Orcs surrounding him, making sure they hit their heads on the ground nice and hard "SURRENDER!!!!" He threw down his weapons and held out his hands towards the oncoming Orcs. "_Sinome, agarwaen a er, carca mereth draug quettar! Nai na engwa a firn! _{In this place, bloodstained and alone, fangs feast without words. May it be thou is sickly and dead!}" A bolt of light in the form of a giant wolf shot from his hands, destroying all Orcs within a fifty-foot radius by clamping down on them with its gleaming fangs. As the beast faded, Legolas fell to the ground, his skin pale and his breathing ragged.

The goblins, surprised and enraged, were unsure whether or not to attack him now. That was the break Legolas needed and the Elf struggled to his feet once again, determined to continue. When they still didn't challenge him, he picked up an axe and hurled it into the crowd, killing three of them. They jumped at him again and the King of Mirkwood wriggled and fought his way from the back of the tunnel to the front. The goblins paid no heed to him, thinking that the ones behind them would eventually stop him… but as he neared the rear, they realized their grave mistake. Many turned and started going the other way, leaving themselves open to attack from Madoc, Haldir, Tethir, and Philendel. Chaos ensued and in the middle of the haze, goblins started shooting goblins blindly and cutting down their own in confusion.

Legolas slipped through the entrance opposite his comrades.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve had sweat beads rolling down her face after enduring another agonizing half-hour of the effects of her 'medicine.' The pain had slowly subsided, leaving her mind a bit numb but able to function once again. As soon as she was able, she had started watching the Orc called Var very, very carefully. He was sitting on the outside of her cell with a rather large bottle in his hands filled with some kind of reeking liquid. Eve guessed it to be Orkish alcohol. He was beginning to nod off.

Outside, she could hear the loud thundering of drums and the screaming of goblins. She didn't doubt that a great battle was going on. Every now and then, she would feel the ground shake as something moved around restlessly.

Something big.

And she didn't care to find out what it was.

She looked up as Var began to snore loudly, his head lolled back and the bottle hanging down, nearly falling from his hand. An idea began to from in her mind. "Can I get some water?" she asked innocently. When he didn't move, she cleared her throat and said, louder this time, "Can I get some water? I'm kind of parched."

This time Var lifted his head and pinned her with a dopey stare. "The only liquid you're gonna get is your medicine. Go to sleep or I'll _make_ you."

Eve moved over to the bars and rested her head against them. "Please? I haven't had a drink in… a really long time."

Var growled at her. "I'm not in the mood for this."

"Oh come on. Just a little drink. Hell, maybe even some of that bull piss you've been chugging for the past hour or so."

The Orc jumped to his feet. "You are _not _in a position to act so bravely!" he snorted. "I suggest you sit back and bite your tongue before I remove it from your sorry head!"

Eve stuck her tongue out at him. "Take it!"

Furious, Var jumped forward at the bars. That was all Eve needed. His reaction speed had been slowed from the effects of whatever he had been drinking, and as soon as he was within arm's reach Eve's hands shot through the steel bars and she bashed his face against the metal, knocking him unconscious. She then yanked him closer and stole the keys from his belt.

"Thank you, Sir," she said, patting him on the head before unlocking the cell door. "I do believe you won't miss these too much. After all, Draeg will probably kill you for letting me escape, now won't he? That's what you get for drinking on the job!" And with that, she hurried out the door.

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Legolas sheathed his sword and pulled out his bow after climbing up a long, steep stairway. What he found was very, _very_ familiar and very, _very_ haunting.

Three tunnels. 

"Eru save me," he mumbled. "I know not where each tunnel leads, but the one to the left is the way out. I do not wish to go out; I wish to save my maiden." He through his hands in the air in frustration. "Why must this be such a tedious task?!" Walking over to the entrances, he considered the middle and right one carefully. He remembered perfectly where the left tunnel led; how could he very well forget?

After a few minutes of just standing there, thinking and grumbling to himself, Legolas picked up a rock and chucked it down the middle tunnel. It could be heard bouncing a few times, then all was still. He then threw another rock into the right tunnel. For a long while there was no sound, and he assumed the tunnel dropped off, but then the rock flew back at him from the darkness and hit him right between the eyes. Dazed, the Elf fell over, arrows spilling from his quiver.

"What the…? Legolas!" came a voice from the tunnel.

Legolas, hand over his face, peeked through his fingers at the figure jumping from the shadows. His first instinct was to grab his dagger, but at the moment his throbbing head allowed him to do nothing but lie there.

"Aw, dammit, I'm sorry!"

"I could only guess that a mouth liked that belongs to a dwarf!" growled the Elven King, trying to focus on the four or so dwarves hovering over him and spinning around in circles.

"Right on the money, buddy. Now only if you could recognize me!"

Legolas blinked slowly. The four dwarves came together into one and stopped dancing around him. "Balin?"

"Damn skippy!" the red-haired dwarf grinned and helped Legolas into a sitting position.

"Balin, what are you doing down here? I thought you went back home." asked the Elf. "And why the hell did you throw that rock at me?!"

"I thought you were a goblin!" the dwarf defended himself. "And on the issue of being down here: I too thought I was on my merry way home when I was jumped in the men's room of the airport by a bunch of foul-looking goblins who looked like bloody ugly men, if you follow me! About two-thirds men, they were! Stuffed me in a bag like no more than a sack of potatoes and took me here!"

Legolas narrowed his eyes. "How did you escape?"

"A young woman set me free, she did! Went through the prison unlocking all the cells and we helped her overtake the guards. If I remember right, it's that young woman who you introduced to us once, you did!" exclaimed Balin.

"Where are the other prisoners?"

"We split up. Many have already taken the left passage to the rebuilt Bridge of Khazad-Dûm."

Legolas felt his hope rising. "And the young maiden?"

Balin's face darkened. "She went off to find the leader of the Orcs called Draeg. Said something about a psychic stone and 'whacked-out, piss-drinking beasts with a superiority complex.'"

"Draeg?" Legolas rubbed his temples. That name rang a bell. "Isn't… isn't Draeg the name of that Orc who came into possession of a Seeing Stone?"

"Yes, I do believe it is. However, Draeg is by no means a mere Orc! He is an Uruk-Hai, and a powerful one at that! You best be watching your back around these parts of the world, King Legolas," warned the dwarf solemnly. "But I must be off! No doubt my wife has worried herself into a nervous wreck by now!" He lumbered off.

Legolas was torn between amusement and terror as he watched the dwarf go, leaving him alone. Before Balin disappeared he suddenly came to his senses and called, "Where does this tunnel lead?"

Balin stopped, turned around, and said, "That tunnel leads to the dungeons and goblin barracks. Draeg sent part of the Orkish army out today, I assume to meet you as you entered his humble abode." He snorted. "The other, larger part still remains on standby."

Legolas's heart dropped. The force he had fought towards the entrance was large enough for the five of them; there was no way he could deal with an even larger force all by himself!  
  


"I warn you, dear King," continued the dwarf darkly, "This quest will very likely claim your life, should you try to do it alone. I would accompany you, but my family awaits my presence at home. Draeg is down there as well; locked away in his quarters with the Seeing Stone, probably watching your every move. Trolls patrol these tunnels and will no likely stumble upon you."

"How do you know this?" asked Legolas.

Balin shrugged. "Draeg's weakness is his tendency to believe that none of his prisoners will ever escape. Therefore he tells them everything they want to know and some things they'd rather not know, if you follow me."

Legolas nodded. "Then farewell, my friend. I hope to see you again."

"And not in the Heavens, I hope!" huffed Balin before scurrying off.

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Eve moved through the underground tunnels as quietly as she could, but her untrained feet seemed to be making more sound than ever despite her efforts. In a rush of bravado – or maybe it was stupidity – she had set free all of Draeg's prisoners. They had thanked her with many promises of monetary reward and run out like Draeg himself was chasing after them. So now she was left alone.

In the dark.

Had she had her senses with her, she would've followed them out since they seemed to know where they were going, but something kept her from leaving. A sort of nagging feeling that if she left, something horrible would happen. So, instead, she had done the utmost insensible thing that she could've done.

She asked for directions to where Draeg was hiding and set out to find him.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she mumbled, thumping herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand. "What was I thinking?!" Already she had succeeded in crawling past a few nasty-looking guards, what she assumed to be a barracks full of goblins and Orcs, and a _huge_, ugly-looking thing with large arms and a club, but now she didn't have the slightest clue if she was even going in the right direction anymore.

After a few more minutes of groping blindly forward in the dark, Even ran smack into something _hard._ She fell back and glared menacingly at the door that dare hit her on the nose. Before a curse could leave her lips, however, she noticed the faintest, almost undetectable light shining from underneath the door. Growing very, very quiet and cautious, she stood and placed her ear to the cold wood.

"…that dim-witted dwarf! Now Legolas will find my position for sure! How could that girl get the keys?! That damned idiot, Var! I'll kill him!" came Draeg's voice through the door. There was some shuffling, then heavy footfalls coming towards the door.

Eve's mind registered the impending danger just as Draeg threw open the door and ran right into her. He seemed more surprised than she was and both of them stared at each other a few moments, stunned. Eve brought herself back to reality quicker than the Uruk-hai and bounded into the room, shutting and locking the door behind her.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" screamed Draeg, pounding on the thick wooden door with all his might.

Eve looked around the room in alarm. She picked up a sturdy chair and barricaded the door, though the huge steel locks all around the frame seemed to be doing their job pretty well. Moving farther into the room, she was suddenly aware of a small table innocently standing a few feet away. On top of the table was a cloth draped over a round shape. Her eyes widened.

"The Seeing Stone," she whispered, approaching it cautiously. She removed the cloth, then jumped back in alarm as a blindingly bright light seemed to explode from the orb. It disappeared instantly, though, leaving Eve staring at the glowing orb in fascination. Inside it she could see Legolas as he moved through a dark cave. Draeg had been watching him the entire time. That couldn't be good.

"OPEN THIS DOOR!" The shouting grew slightly louder, but Eve ignored it.

Mustering all the courage she could, the young woman extended her hand and touched the orb. When she was sure it wasn't going to jump out and bite her arm off, she picked it up and tossed it from hand to hand daringly. It was as light as a ping pong ball, but the size of a cantaloupe. She looked around and spotted a few leather packs sitting on the ground, along with a great assortment of weapons. Whilst stuffing the stone into one of the packs and slinging it onto her shoulder, she got an idea.

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Draeg had had enough. He stormed up the tunnel to the guard at the mouth of the tunnel, grabbed his spear, and stormed back down. There was no way Eve could get out without running straight into him. He lodged the spearhead in-between the frame and the door at a point he knew to be weaker than the others. Then, he began to pry it open. Soon a busting noise could be heard on the inside and the locks flew off. The door exploded open, almost causing Draeg to hit himself with the spear's handle. He quickly jumped into the room to find…

Absolutely nothing.

Draeg growled and shut the nearly dismantled door behind him. If Eve was going to escape, she was going to make a hell of a racket doing it. He began to slowly circle the room, yellow eyes searching every nook and crevice. Everything seemed as it was when he had left the room and she had entered. It was a few minutes before he noticed that…

"The Seeing Stone! It… it's gone!" shouted the Uruk-hai angrily. "No!" He did one more quick, aggravated search before stomping out. In his rage, however, he did not see the young woman hanging above the door from a rope that was held in her hand and supported by a sharp boulder protruding from the ceiling; a perfect pulley.

Eve slowly lowered herself to the ground. "Well… that was easy," she thought absently before sneaking out the door.

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Legolas, however, was not faring as well. He had gone about twenty feet into the tunnel when he came into contact with Orkish guard. Three of them, to be exact. Though he received a few bumps and bruises in the process, he had dispatched them and stole one of their helmets to wear. The big, heavy Orkish armor didn't exactly fit the king very well and hindered his movement greatly. That problem would result in the amputation of a mandatory limb or certain death. On top of that, when he walked the armor would clank around, making enough racket to have the whole army upon him in a matter of seconds. _That_ would not, in any way, shape, or form, be good.

So, with a simple helmet as protection, he marched dutifully on through the darkness. His sharpened senses worked together as a sort of echolocation. He could just barely hear his breathing echoing in the nooks and crevices, see the dust his feet kicked up swirl and outline any hindrance in front of him, and feel the curve of the wall next to him.

Using all his senses like this was a challenge, no matter how he wanted to deny it. A few thousand years had passed since he had last dared enter a cave inhabited by goblins and even that time he had been terrified out of his wits. Memories of the Balrog flooded his mind and almost made him stop walking, but he pushed those thoughts aside with memories of Eve and forced himself to continue.

Yet, the farther in the never-ending darkness he went, the harder it became for him to hold his resolve. The sound of an epic, far-off battle echoed through the caverns. He hoped with all the strength inside him that Kiendos had returned with reinforcements. He felt like a fool for ever thinking a group of a few individuals could ever make a difference again. The Fellowship was a one-time feat, and their victory had been based mostly on luck and chance. He had hoped that, by chance, the goblins would hear nothing of their plans. He had depended on luck to find the entrance to Moria… but it seemed that his luck had run out and his chances at survival were growing slim.

He could feel the Book growing heavy in his pack. It seemed so innocent at first glance; faded leather binding and crumbling pages. But if you could speak the ancient words inscribed there… for half a moment he wondered why he didn't just blow the entire place to bits with a single spell. But, deep down, he knew why. If he used too much power from the Book it would just make it easier to conquer him. Already it had nearly stolen his soul; he could feel the gaping hole inside himself that just seemed to grow and grow. To use the Book's full power would be like signing a deal with death itself. So he relinquished the chance to make this mission easy and chose only to use the power when needed. But if that was a good or bad choice…he did not yet know.

A few more minutes of dark, hopeless thoughts later, Legolas found himself at the edge of the goblin barracks. For as far as he could see, doors lined the hall on the left and right. Light spilled out from underneath the doors, and some of them were open. The sound of goblins yapping to each other in their native tongues could be heard, and Legolas shuddered at the thought of how many there could be housed here.

He was content with his plan to just sneak through, but then he saw something lumbering towards him out of the darkness. It was several feet taller than him, with big, clunky arms and a club the size of Legolas himself dragging along the ground behind it.

A troll.

The beast huffed and snorted as it walked, eyes swiveling around in sunken-in sockets.

Quickly pressing himself against the wall, the Elven King prayed that the beast hadn't seem him… No such luck.

The troll walked forward until it was right next to him, then turned and made a face that looked to Legolas like a derisive smile. He gave up all hopes of sneaking through the tunnel and took off running like only a terrified Elf could. With a deafening roar and crashing footsteps, the troll chased after him. This caught the goblins' attentions and they poked their ugly heads out of their quarters to see first the one Elf they had been instructed to kill at all costs running down the hall like his pants were on fire, then their cave troll barreling after him, club waving. They quickly grabbed their weapons and joined the chase, howling with glee at finally getting something to do.

Legolas cursed himself again and again as he ran, wondering absently where this tunnel ended. The tunnels of Moria were said to extend for hundreds of miles underground, but he wasn't sure if that was dwarfish boasting or fact. He had never wished it to be fact so desperately until now. Elves could run faster and over longer distances than trolls and quite possibly than goblins now that they had human blood in their veins. He had settled into a good pace and was pulling away from the horde of beasts chasing after him when the unthinkable happened.

The King of Mirkwood skidded to an abrupt halt as he came face-to-face with the self-appointed King of the Goblins.

"Draeg."

The Uruk-hai smiled, baring sharp yellow teeth, then held a hand up and made a gesture to the thundering army behind him.

Legolas, refusing to allow Draeg to be at his back, listened carefully and heard the troll and goblins stop their chase about fifty yards behind him, though they didn't seem too happy about it.

Draeg casually drew his thick-bladed sword. "Have you brought the Book?"

The Elf reached behind him and pulled it out of his pack. "It's right here."

"And yet you have not the wits to destroy us all?"

Legolas tensed. "I refuse to do such a thing. After all, where would be the fun in that?"

"Coward. I sense a missing piece of you; somehow you feel incomplete. Is that true?" teased the Orc.

"The only reason I feel incomplete is because my maiden is somewhere here, within these walls and I have not yet mounted your head in my trophy room!" snorted Legolas.

Draeg laughed. "Ah. What attitude. I do believe the Book has taken all your manners. You barge in here, unannounced, and kill all my poor little goblins that I have taken into my humble abode. Don't you feel any guilt?"

Legolas glared at him. "No," he responded, his tone empty. He tossed the Book onto the floor. "If you want it you'll have to get it."

"All in due time," sighed the Orc with a wave of his hand. "So, you have come to rescue your fair maiden like a good little prince, have you?"

"King," growled Legolas, also drawing his sword. "I am a _King_."

"Someone has a little too much pride," cackled Draeg. "Last we met you were a Prince. Oh wait… I did hear that you killed your dear old man since them. Shot him between the eyes with a gun. I applaud you. It takes a _real_ villain to do something _that_ horrible." He paused long enough to make his words sink in. "But your status doesn't matter to me, _King_, for, though we are _distant relations_, you have no power over me," replied Draeg, grinning evilly.

Legolas tensed. It was a sad truth that Orcs were, in fact, related to Elves, and the thought of what kind of torture would have to be endured to change a being from a beautiful Elf to a deformed, demented goblin made him shiver. He didn't show any sign of his thoughts, however, as he daringly stepped forward. "You should at least show some respect," he spat mockingly, "for the race which you so long to become once again, you deformed piece of horse dung."

Draeg's face darkened. "Why would I want to become a weak-minded little piece of poisoned dirt without a purpose in the world? No, you're lower than dirt. You killed your own family members and we all know that Elvish minds lie _below_ the waist."

That was it. Legolas snapped and jumped at Draeg, sword flashing. Their blades came together in a shower of sparks. Draeg pushed Legolas to the ground and, quick as lightning, Legolas kicked the Uruk-hai with the heel of his foot right in the chin, sending him onto his back. The Elf jumped to his feet and moved to smash Draeg's face with his boot, but the Orc rolled out of the way and rose to his full height.

"Child's play," he said under his breath before lashing out with his sword. He sliced first into Legolas's arm then his leg. "That's real."

Legolas pushed aside the pain and used his left hand to punch Draeg in the face. Draeg shouted in rage and blindly brought his sword around. Legolas jumped back before the Uruk-hai's sword could embed itself in his side, but he wasn't quite fast enough to avoid total injury. Draeg's blade nicked his skin and the end of it caught onto a stitch in the Elf's clothing. Legolas's shirt was roughly ripped from his shoulders, knocking him over in the process.

Draeg laughed. "Not too happy about your famed Elvish cloth now, are you? Looks more to me like a hindrance than a blessing."

In response, Legolas kicked him in the nose, effectively breaking it, and knocked his feet out from under him. Draeg, however, was ready this time. As he fell he turned his body towards the king, landing on top of Legolas's left arm and snapping it audibly. Legolas cursed and bit his lip so hard it bled to prevent himself from screaming. Draeg stood again and raised his sword.

"Ready to die?"

Legolas looked up at him through white-hot tears of pain. "Not just yet," he managed to say through clenched teeth. He drove his foot into Draeg's crotch and, as the Uruk-hai fell, stabbed him in the shoulder.

Draeg shouted several curses in his own language as the blade went all the way through his flesh and came out the other side. He hit the hilt of Legolas's sword and stopped falling.

"That's gotta hurt," mocked Legolas. He yanked his sword to the side, throwing Draeg off his blade and onto the ground.

"It tickles," spat the Uruk-hai. He got to his feet, black blood gushing from his shoulder, and they two began to circle each other menacingly. "You know that, even if you do kill me and defeat my army, she'll die anyway. I gave her Orkish poison. There is no known antidote. It should kill her in a matter of hours."

Legolas's heart dropped to his feet. "You didn't."

"Oh, I did. Care to try me?"

The King of Mirkwood closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat. When he opened them, he pinned Draeg with a defiant stare. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"War?" mocked the Uruk-hai.

"No. This means I have no reason _not _to kill you."

Draeg poked out his bottom lip mockingly then hurled his dagger at Legolas. The blade embedded itself in Legolas's leg, painfully coming out the other side. The Elf stumbled back a bit, but refused to go down. He pulled out his own dagger.

"Whatcha gonna do with that, pretty boy?" teased the Orc.

Legolas hurled it at Draeg, who promptly caught it.

"Nice throw," he said before sending it flying back to Legolas, who dove to the floor.

As he was rolling around on the floor, the Elf happened upon a small, thin, and rusty carving knife. It looked like something the goblins would use to torture their prisoners with. He picked it up and turned around. "Catch this." With that, the King of Mirkwood flicked his wrist and threw the knife at Draeg.

The Uruk-hai made a feeble attempt to catch the weapon, but he was not expecting a knife so small and it flew right past his hand into the middle of his chest. Draeg, however, did not die. He pulled the dagger from his flesh. "Is that all you got?" he growled, then raised his head. "NOO!" he shouted in surprise and anguish as Legolas's sword flashed before him. The last thing he saw was a spurt of red, then all went black… There were two thuds as his body hit the floor and then his head.

"You. Can. Go. To. Hell," growled Legolas, emphasizing every word.

The Elf had but a half a moment to breathe when he realized that his fight was not half over yet. Turning slowly, he faced the majority of the Orkish army. There were now five trolls and an innumerable amount of goblins gathered in the hall, weapons ready. He drew his bow.

"This is it then. I go down fighting," he whispered, notching an arrow to his bow.

An Orc came to the front of the army and raised his weapon. "Get the King!"

Legolas shot, killing the Orc. Enraged, the goblins began charging towards him at full speed. The ground shook with their thundering footsteps and the roar of their battle cries was almost too loud to endure. The King of Mirkwood's bow sang as he they approached, killing ten of them before he unsheathed his already bloodied sword.

The troll was first to reach him. Legolas jumped into the air, kicked the troll in the eye with enough force to drive it back into its brain, killing it instantly. It fell atop its goblin comrades and provided Legolas with a few more seconds to take a breather as the enemy jumped back to avoid getting squished.

It was in this moment that Legolas heard someone calling his name. At first he thought it was the infuriated chanting of the goblins, but then he recognized the voice and turned around.

"Eve!" he shouted. The young woman was standing a few meters away, frozen to the spot and her face stark white with fear. "Eve, get back! Run!"

She shook her head. "I-I-I d-d-don't want to l-l-leave you," she stuttered, pulling a crossbow from her pack.

Legolas turned back to the oncoming army as the first opponent reached him. Goblins were unskilled in battle; their sole strategy was to overwhelm opponents by sheer numbers, and Legolas easily dispatched the first few to reach him. The second wave, however, came in much more concentrated numbers. As he reached back to grab an arrow, two goblins grabbed his arm and forced him to twist around so that his back was to the oncoming attack. Three more yanked his weapons from him. Hundreds surrounded the Elf, bashing him left and right with their clubs and poking him with their spears. Legolas vainly fought back, killing a considerable number, but for every one he killed five more took its place, just as ferocious and just as angry.

He could feel his skin being punctured to the point where hundreds of little holes became one big wound. Some of them jumped onto his back and cut off his hair and slashed his back. Blood fell to the floor in droplets. One of them grabbed his broken arm and twisted it. Another hit his knee with a club, shattering the kneecap. Two ripped the dagger out of his leg using the blunt side. Legolas collapsed.

"No!" shouted Eve as she watched Legolas disappear underneath the goblin's weapons. She leveled her crossbow and show aimlessly into the array, striking a goblin on the shoulder. The little beast turned, growled, and ran at her, pike waving. She dropped her crossbow and moved backward until she ran into the wall.

"EVE!" 

She could hear Legolas yelling desperately from somewhere in the battle, but her legs were rooted to the spot and her eyes locked on the impending doom coming at her. Her life flashed before her eyes. Her parents, Trent, her friends, Legolas… most of all Legolas… His face, smiling and bright, clouded her senses and filled her mind. His hand was reaching out to her, a bright light like a halo shining around him. "_Telin le thaed."_ He whispered, his voice soft. Then, his face disappeared and was replaced with the howling, raging goblin. Eve hung her head in defeat. It seemed death was near when—

Eve gasped in shock when the goblin suddenly stopped running, eyes wide, and fell over, dead with an arrow protruding from its back. She looked up.

From farther up the cavern, horns resonated through the air. Hundreds of torches suddenly lit the area bright as day. And as many as five hundred Elves, humans, dwarves, and hobbits joined the fight. Arrows flew through the thick air and hit their marks without fail. The goblins turned their attention to this new threat, forgetting the near-dead Elf lying in a puddle of his own blood on the floor.

Eve, however, could not take her eyes off of him. He lay still, his arm bent underneath him in a most unnatural position. His entire body was covered with blood and the dark puddle of it on the ground was quickly growing. There were deep gashes all over his torso and a particularly painful-looking bump forming on his forehead. The only thing that had saved him from certain death was his helmet, which lay battered and dented a few feet away. His scar was somehow cut open again.

She ran over and gingerly turned him onto his back. "Legolas? Oh god… Legolas, don't be dead, don't be dead…don't be dead…"

Legolas opened one eye for the other one was swollen shut and half-smiled at her. "Are they here? The reinforcements?"

"Yeah, they're here," she whispered, trying not to burst into tears and managing a sort of smile that, in truth, looked more like a grimace. "We've got to get you away from here… you've lost a lot of blood… too much blood."

Legolas closed his eye. "It's too late for me…" he let his voice trail off and gulped.

Eve shook her head and looked at the epic battle taking place no more than twenty meters away from her. "No, it's not. It's not too late. You're gonna get out of here. All we need is a little help."

As if on cue, Haldir burst through the wall of goblins and fixed his gaze upon them. The right side of his head had a nasty gash and one of his hands were missing, but nonetheless he ran over and knelt next to Legolas. "Hey buddy," he said weakly. "You look like shit."

Legolas opened his eye again. "Not so pretty yourself."

Haldir glanced towards the nearest door. "We gotta get you out of this fight… come on." Using his good hand, he helped Eve painfully drag Legolas into the room. As soon as they had settled the King, he drew his sword again. "Stay here and take care of him the best you can. I'm going back out there."

Eve's eyes widened. "Why? You only have one hand!"

Haldir smiled as he tossed her a medical pack. "Because I would rather die under the sword of an enemy and go down fighting for my King than anything else in the world. You shall understand one day."

Eve gently pulled Legolas's head into her lap and began to try to clean him up a bit. "Don't you dare die on me, damn it. I have plans for you yet," she whispered in his ear.

Legolas smiled through his pain.

Outside… the battle raged…


	9. Live For

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.

Thanks to: _The Fellowship of the Word-smiths_ for song translations.

A/N: I wrote this a really, really long time ago, and it now occurs to me that this is totally incorrect in Tolkein's universe… but I must finish it, so please bear with me. Please? =( Also, I'm not very fluent in elvish; you'll have to excuse me if I get anything wrong.

**Storm** **Clouds**

****

By Brin

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**Chapter 9, Alt** **Ending** **1: …Live** **For**

The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Tears of pain and sorrow fell down his face and mingled with the blood and dirt there, stinging his cuts and yet soothing his bruises. His cheeks felt as if they had been set aflame and his head throbbed like the pounding of the goblin's war drums. Deep gashes like whip marks across his back made the simple act of just laying there as painful as could be. He wasn't sure if his arms and legs were still attached anymore. It didn't feel like they were, but he subconsciously knew they were there since they were the only parts of his body that _didn't_ feel like they were on fire. In fact, he couldn't feel them at all. But, somehow, through all the pain, he could hear someone talking, their voice dull and quiet as if far off in the distance, but getting louder…

"Legolas, when we get out of here I'm taking you on a long, long vacation. We'll get away from here and go to an abandoned beach and surf. Aeriela told me you liked the sea a lot. In fact, you're borderline obsessed with it. She told me a lot about you," Eve rambled, tears spilling over her face as she wiped him down and wrapped his wounds the best she could. It seemed to be helping; he wasn't as unrecognizable now as he had been a few minutes before. "If you die, I'll kick your ass, do you hear me?"

Legolas tilted his head a bit. "In your dreams," he croaked.

Eve's eyes widened. "No, no, no! No talking! I didn't mean for you to answer me!" she cried, her face full of both anger and sorrow. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. No more questions. Just lie there and try to… try to relax…" She finished wrapping his legs and arms in cloth and moved onto his torso. Clawing at the tears forming in her eyes, she pulled another roll of bandages from the pack Haldir had given her. "This is all my fault. I should have been more alert."

"No," Legolas protested. She tried to shush him again, but he shook his head weakly. "It's not your fault, Eve. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I sent you out alone. I didn't make sure the goblins were gone."

The young woman chewed her lip a bit before responding, "Okay, since I don't feel like arguing with you, it's no one's fault. You got me?"

Legolas nodded.

"Good. Now—"

Before she could finish, the door burst open and a group of goblins and Elves tumbled in, fighting amongst themselves. One of the goblins rolled onto its knees, only to be run through with a half-broken sword and tossed aside like a doll.

Eve screamed as an Elf and an Orc shoved each other around the room, smashing into things and seemingly taking turns punching one another. They almost landed atop Legolas, who was attempting to move out of the way, but, in a wave of bravado, Eve pushed them away and kicked the Orc in the side. Angry, the Orc jumped off the Elf and ran towards her. This gave the Elf the break he needed and, in one swift movement, he shot the Orc between the shoulder blades. It fell just short of Legolas.

The rest of the fights were settled and the Elves exited the room, leaving the corpses behind. Eve jumped up, closed the door behind them, then felt the contents of her stomach quickly rising north as she spotted a dead Elf lying atop the body of a goblin, five arrows protruding from his chest and one from his forehead. She turned away, her eyes straying to Legolas as he lay there, helpless.

"I'm sorry you have to see this," he whispered, eyes closed. "I'm sorry."

Eve shook her head vigorously as she walked back and kneeled next to him. "It's opened my eyes."

Legolas opened his bottomless blue eyes and lifted a hand to her cheek. "I love you."

Eve leaned into his touch, placing her small hand over his large one. "I love you, too."

"And no matter what happens," he continued, "that will never change. Not rain nor sleet nor snow" a smile crossed his features as he said this "will keep me from returning to you."

"Returning?" Eve's voice cracked. "You're not _going_ anywhere. You're _staying_ right here with me."

He moved his hand to her chest, where he could feel her heart beating rapidly against her ribcage. "I will until, the end of time, be right here, Eve. Always remember that."

"Look, Legolas!" shouted the young woman, grasping his hand tightly. "You are _not_ going to die! All we need to do is finish wrapping your wounds and get you out of here. It is not as bad as it seems…" She looked deep into his eyes and shook her head. "I won't let you go."

Legolas gave her a rueful look. "All the long years that I have lived, I have not loved one as much as I love you. Not Aeriela, not Marie. Our souls were _meant_ to convene, and at the same time… _meant_ to part."

"I'm not going to forget you, Legolas," she whispered back. "I will never spend a moment without you on my mind; in my heart." And then she leaned down to pressed her lips against his.

When she pulled back, Legolas murmured, "You have been poisoned. I taste it on your lips. I have been poisoned as well, and with the same toxin."

Eve remembered the contaminated blade that Draeg had made. Her heart sank down to her toes. "No. NO!"

"I have not the strength to find the antidote, but I can save _you_," he said softly.

"I'd rather die than live without you,"  Eve replied miserably. "Don't you see?"

"Eve, I need you to promise me something. Promise me that if I die, you won't follow me to the other side." Legolas' face was full of anguish. "Promise."

Not able to stand it any longer, Eve buried her tear-stained face in his shoulder and began to sob hysterically. "I…"

"Promise me!" he begged, weakly pulling an arm around her. "Please." When Eve hesitated, he mustered what was left of his strength and grabbed her face. "Promise me! Right now! _Do it!_" he pleaded, his voice rising steadily.

Startled by his sudden rush of aggressiveness, Eve nodded, though she didn't stop weeping. "I promise… I promise…," she repeated, then jerked her head away from his grip.

As if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders, Legolas' body relaxed against the ground, his eyelids drooping. He looked so small and frail compared to the fierce warrior Eve wanted to badly to return home. It was now that Eve noticed her arms were getting heavier, her eye struggling to keep open.

"The poison is moving," whispered Legolas, as if reading her thoughts.

Eve pulled back a bandage and looked at one of the cuts on his arm. Long red lines had developed from it, heading up his arm and towards the middle of his chest. These streaks joined together with the lines from other cuts that Draeg had made. They were deadly close to his heart. "Legolas!"

He simply nodded in return, eyes closed.

Eve clung to him for dear life, wishing more than anything in the world she could just wake up from this nightmare. Legolas' breathing was ragged and shallow and he hugged her back with what strength was left within him.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" whispered Eve.

Legolas shook his head and coughed. "This was bound to happen someday… I'm just glad you're with me." He kissed her lightly.

"You're gonna be okay," she declared with false bravado. "Don't leave me, please… I don't want to hear a goodbye."

"You'll be fine," he said quietly.

"Legolas?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you sing for me? I need to hear your voice. I need to know you're gonna be okay," she said, placing her head on his chest and listening to the rhythmic sound of his heart. For some reason, the act of asking him to sing sounded a little like a goodbye to her ears. Tears streamed down her face.

Legolas smiled and rested his chin on the top of her head. He rubbed her back lightly and quietly began to sing in his own language, the words rolling off his tongue like water.

_Na 'Aear,_ _na 'Aear!_ _Mýl 'lain nallol,_

_I sûl ribiel a i falf 'loss reviol._

_Na annûn hae, ias Anor dannol._

_Cair vith, cair vith, lastal hain canel,_

_Lamath in-gwaithen i gwennin no nin?_

_Gwannathon, gwannathon taur i onnant nin;_

_dan midui orath vín a dennin inath vín._

_Trevedithon 'aear land erui ciriel._

_falvath enainn bo Mathedfalas dannol,_

_Lamath vilui vi Tol Gwannen cannen,_

_Vi Tol Ereb, ned_ _Bar-in-Edhil i Edain ú-gennir,_

_Ias lais ú-dhannar:_ _dôr en-gwaith nín an-uir!_

[To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying,

The wind is blowing, and the white foam is flying.

West, west away, the round sun is falling.

Grey ship, grey ship, do you hear them calling,

The voices of my people that have gone before me?

I will leave, I will leave the woods that bore me;

For our days are ending and our years failing.

I will pass the wide waters lonely sailing.

Long are the waves on the Last Shore falling,

Sweet are the voices in the Lost Isle calling,

In Eressëa, in Elvenhome that no man can discover

Where the leaves fall not: land of people for ever!]

Eve didn't understand it in the least bit, but it sounded so beautiful she was lulled to sleep by it…

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Eve awoke to the sound of ebbing battle. The next thing she noticed was a horrible empty feeling wash over her. Something wasn't right. It was like… like something in the universe had _shifted_. The next thing she noticed caused tears to spring to her eyes… the sound of a heart beating against her ear was gone. She raised her head and looked up into the pale face of Legolas. His skin was cold to the touch, and his entire body was limp.

"No," whispered the young woman, sitting up. "NO!"

At that moment, Philendel burst into the room covered in blood, holding a sword. He looked at the scene before him and gasped with anguish, running over to Legolas and desperately feeling his neck and wrists for a pulse.

Eve backed up until she was against the opposite wall, gagging. Her stomach churned and revolted, white hot tears burning in her eyes.

After a few moments, Philendel hung his head and stood. "He is dead, then."

"He… he can't be dead! NO!!" shrieked Eve, shaking her head. "_No, no, no, no!_" She ran over to Legolas and grabbed his face with both hands. "You can't be dead! Wake up, _please_ wake up!" She felt Phildenel's hand on her shoulder and stopped screaming, but didn't release her hold. "You see, I love you, Legolas. I love you so much…" Her voice broke and she could say no more, only hold his cold head in her hands and weep.

"He went in peace, Eve. As a warrior, with his honor intact. Let him go," Philendel whispered even as tears streamed down his face.

Eve sobbed, "This is all my fault… it's all my fault he's dead… I should be killed…"

Philendel jerked her to her feet. "Eve!" he said firmly, cupping her face in his hands so that she looked straight into his eyes. "Legolas died for you; so you could live! Do not make it so that his sacrifice had no meaning! He wanted you to live on, and that is what you must do!"

The young woman closed her eyes and nodded.

"Good. We must get out of here. The army is going to blow the place to shreds. Let's go." He took her hand and led her out.

"But what about Legolas?"

"It's taken care of," said Philendel, nodding to Kiendos, who made a gesture to a few Elves and then ran off towards the room where Legolas, King of Mirkwood, lost his life after nearly twenty thousand years of living.

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Eve was taken back to the castle of Mirkwood that night. She sat upon his bed, the smell of him still fresh in the room, and stroked the covers with one hand.

Ever since the moment she had met him, Legolas Greenleaf and Chris Bowman had been an unstoppable pair, with Chris handling the wrongdoings of people in the real world and Legolas saving it from certain destruction. Now… they were gone. It was an abnormal feeling to have met such an ageless being… then watch him die. For her, no less. It was like his twenty-thousand years of existence just… faded.

She wept freely that night, her face buried in the covers of Legolas' bed, a pillow grasped over her head in a feeble attempt to muffle the sobs. Around four in the morning, she heard the door open and someone slipped inside, the rustling of cloth being the only indication to their presence. It could only be an Elf, for no other being – man, halfling, or dwarf – could hold such grace as to move without sound. The young woman raised her head and saw Aeriela standing there dressed in a beautiful gown of deep, dark blue like the ocean in the night. Her hair was pinned back from her face with a diamond-studded beret. Around her was an ethereal glow, illuminating the dark room. It swirled and shimmered about the Elven queen, who simply stood at the front of the room with a melancholic expression on her beautiful face.

"What do you want?" asked Eve quietly before burying herself within the bed again, wanting only to curl up and die. She did not raise her head as she heard the Elven maiden move quietly across the room towards her. She did, however, become a little anxious when she felt a placid breeze across the back of her neck.

"Dark Maiden of Gondor, I bear a message," whispered Aeriela into the young woman's ear, startling her.

"From who?"

"The message I have brought to you was written by the late King Legolas of Mirkwood, milady. I do plead that you would rise and read it," said the Elven Queen, her voice soft, yet full of heart-wrenching emotion.

Eve lifted her head and looked at the surreal being before her, brown eyes astounded by the light that emanated from Elven skin. "Alright."

A rueful smile resting upon her lips, Aeriela handed Eve a piece of folded paper, then stood and promptly exited the room.

Regarding the piece of paper like a venomous beast, Eve went over to Legolas' desk and turned on the lamp. She then slowly unfolded the letter and began to read:

_Here is the last account_ _of Legolas_ _Greenleaf, Son of Thranduil, King of Mirkwood, Lead Elf of the New Age Elves:_

_If you are reading this, I should be dead. As I write this, I only hope my death does not cause too much grief. Fear not, my friends – I have lived more lives than what I deserve, and have taken the lives of those who deserved more. Grievance is not needed, for I expect I shall be taken to my deceased loved ones – Marie, Little Chris, Lord Elrond, The Fellowship, my father – where I shall rest in peace. I will spend eternity with them, and be forever content to await the arrival of the friends I still have in life._

Let it be known that I leave all my possessions to be divided equally among the following: Lord Haldir of Lórien, Queen Aeriela of Rewyn, and Eve, the Dark Maiden of Gondor.

_Included is a message to the Dark Maiden:_

_Eve,_

_People in your life will pass in and out of it as if they were ghosts – your past does not reflect your future. All thoughts of me must be cast out of your life.  Grief solves nothing. I only wish for you to be content. It was all a dream._

Namárië,

                             Legolas Greenleaf 

_                                      Chris Bowman_

Eve pawed at her tear-filled eyes, unable to hold it in. The note was short, simple, yet so terribly poignant. Those five sentences held more weight in her heart than any length of writing she had ever read. He was _really_ gone. She looked about the room desolately, then her eyes settled upon something set aglow by the moonlight. Rising from her seat, the young woman crossed the room and picked it up.

"His father gave him that necklace," said a voice.

The young woman turned around to see Aeriela standing there once again, a remorseful look on her face. "What is it?"

Aeriela moved forward. "It is the Elvish symbol for 'L'. He said it stood for 'luck'."

"A lot of good that did him," grumbled Eve as she studied the silver pendant hanging on a simple black twine. It looked kind of like an arrow pointing upwards. She looked at her Elven friend and felt her breath hitch in her throat. "I miss him."

"As do many. Legolas was a much-respected and beloved Elf in his lifetime. He was a legend as one of the Nine walkers, but also a renowned leader," replied the Elf. She placed a hand upon Eve's shoulder. "Do you know how his last moments were spent?"

"No. Do you?"

"A dwarf witnessed it. Legolas knew he was going to die; the poison was just short of his heart and he had lost a fatal amount of blood. He did the one thing he knew he could do – he kept you alive. He had just enough energy to heal _one_ person…"

Eve closed her eyes to hide the tears. "Me."

"He saved you, Eve. Upon his lips during his death were the words of a powerful healing spell. With thoughts of your safety in mind, he was able to leave this world peacefully. You, Eve, were his savior. Had you not come along when you did, he would've died as a broken and torn soul. Don't you see? You're the greatest thing that ever happened to him."

"Doesn't that bother you?" blurted Eve critically, suddenly turning upon the fair Elven maiden. "You loved him. I _know_ you did."

Aeriela grinned sadly. "Legolas was not meant to be with me, so I can only savor in the time we had. I do not deny that I envy you, Dark Maiden, for being so closely included in his life. However, I know that spite will get me nowhere, and you are too an enjoyable person to be disliked."

Eve bowed her head. "I'm sorry." Tears began to form in her eyes. "I'm so sorry…"

They embraced each other, each mourning the loss of the same beloved man, only to part as a bright light abruptly entered the room window. Alarmed, Eve went over to the blinds and hesitantly opened them. The light was so brilliant that she had to cover her eyes. She turned away from the window and all breath left her lungs at the being before her.

"You do not look pleased to see me, milady."

"Legolas!" Aeriela gasped.

Eve merely stared at him in utter shock, her jaw slack. She had never seen him looking so healthy. His skin was flawless; no sign of the scar over his eye remained. His hair, which had been nearly brown when he had passed away, was a brilliant blonde color once again. He was wearing royal robes that seemed to be the color of moonlight, made of only the finest Elven cloth. All the weariness that he had seemed to drag with him during his lifetime was gone – leaving him light as a feather and nimble as he was back when Middle-Earth was new and the Elves were at their peak. At the same time, however, his bottomless blue eyes held enough wisdom and worldly knowledge to fill an entire library of books.

"How… how is this possible?" asked Eve breathlessly.

Aeriela fell to one knee before the King, her head bowed low.

Legolas stepped forward and placed his hand atop Aeriela's head. "Arise, Queen of Rewyn, and greet me as your peer, for I am no greater than you."

Her beautiful eyes bright with tears, Aeriela stood and embraced Legolas with all her might, not wanting to let go. _"Aaye! I haran antuulien!"_ [Hail! The king has returned!] she said quietly. "You are no peer of mine."

_"Harya andon nie, maaloo."_ [You possess great sorrow, love.] Legolas put a finger beneath her chin and raised her face to look at him. _"Uunalla an i quelet."_ [Do not weep for the dead.]

_"Uume,"_ [I do not] she protested.

Legolas kissed his fingertips, then placed them upon her lips. "_Valina_." [Be happy.]

"_Nan, an antuulien."_ [I am, for you have returned.]

The fair Elven king smiled at her, and then turned to face Eve. "Dark Maiden of Gondor, by the power of those passed and by the power of eternal love, I have returned to you for only a moment."

Eve closed her eyes to hide the tears pooling in them, then slowly opened them again and whispered, "Then for now my pain is relieved… and it will come back when you leave again."

Legolas stepped towards her and placed his hand upon her shoulder. "Time heals all wounds, milady. Tell me, what plagues you?"

"I don't want to live my life as a heartbroken fool, Legolas. I want you to be with me again, so that all the time we wasted can be made up. I don't want to be alone," answered the young woman miserably. "Let me come with you, please."

The Elven king's face darkened. "No, milady. You made a promise to me that you would not venture to the other side after me. I will not let you throw away the rest of your life – you have so much of it to live."

"But I am not elf-kind! I will live just a short time more compared to the lives of your people! How can you ask me to stay here?" complained the young woman sadly. "I love you."

Legolas moved his hand to her forehead, gently brushing her skin with his soft fingertips. "In your mind, you see only darkness ahead, but in your heart… I see much more." He placed his hand upon her chest, feeling the strong beat beneath the skin. "I bear a message for you, Dark Maiden of Gondor."

"A message that you will be staying while longer, I should hope," murmured Eve under her breath.

"The message I bear is of your future, milady," explained Legolas. He grasped her frail hand in his strong one. "The path laid before your feet is a bright one. You will become a well-known journalist and, in the face of danger, you will find the one with whom you will spend the rest of your life." Here his voice broke. "And you will be happy with him. You will live happily ever after, have many children and grandchildren. You will _live. _There is no further sadness in your future."

Eve lowered her eyes. "This future man you speak of may make me happy, and we may enjoy each other's presence until our deaths… but he will not be _you_."

Legolas faltered at her words, but quickly regained his composure. "What's done is done – there is no turning back." His eyes flickered to the window. "I must go now… they want me." He stepped towards the window, and then, as if thinking better of it, turned on his heel and swept Eve up into his arms. "I love you," he whispered, then kissed her. When they parted, he gently brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and said so quietly that it was barely audible, "Goodbye."

And with that, he faded. The light in the window disappeared… and the Dark Maiden of Gondor was left alone… utterly alone.

EPILOGUE [to alt ending 1]

Steely gray spikes of rain fell from the sky as if the universe itself was crying as a large wooden coffin was moved across the grounds of Mirkwood. It was carried by four elves, and behind it trailed a procession of black-clad, tear-faced men, elves, dwarves, and hobbits. A sob could be heard now and then, but otherwise all was quiet aside from the pattering rain.

_I'm so tired_ _of_ _being here_

_Suppressed by all of my childish fears_

_And if you_ _have to leave_

_I wish_ _that you would just_ _leave_

_Because your presence_ _still lingers here_

_And it won't leave me alone_

Eve clasped her hands in front of her, silent tears trailing down her face and mixing with droplets of rain. Beside her walked Madoc, his small head bowed in reverence and respect. The pain of it all was nearly physical for the young woman, a constricting feeling in her chest and a tightening in her throat. She still could not bring herself to believe it was true. That he was really gone. Even though his ghost had come to her and had explained how everything would be right again… Eve still hoped to see him smiling at her from the treetops or inviting her on a stroll through the forest.

_These_ _wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain_ _is_ _just too real_

_There's_ _just too_ _much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away_ _all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I've held your_ _hand through all of these years_

_But you still have all of me_

The coffin was lowered to its final resting place in the middle of Mirkwood, where the King would rest forever undaunted. In his grave were placed flowers, treasures from his youth, and pictures of his friends. Haldir gave a eulogy in Quenya and, even thought Eve understood none of it, the words expressed deeper and more profound emotion than any amount of Common Speech could achieve.

_You used_ _to_ _captivate_ _me_

_By your resonating light_

_But now I'm bound by the life you left behind_

_Your face it_ _haunts my_ _once pleasant dreams_

_Your voice it chased_ _away all the sanity in me_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This_ _pain is_ _just too_ _real_

_There's_ _just too_ _much that_ _time cannot_ _erase_

After the funeral, the attendees paid their final respects to the Elven King before silently bowing out. One by one they went, until all were gone except Eve, Aeriela, Madoc, and Tethir. They stood next to the edge of the grave in companionable silence. On the headstone were carved Elven runes and, underneath, in smaller letters, "Here lies Legolas of Mirkwood, beloved King and Friend to all."

_When you cried_ _I'd wipe_ _away all_ _of your tears_

_When you'd_ _scream I'd_ _fight away_ _all of your fears_

_And I've held_ _your hand_ _through all of these years_

_But_ _you still_ _have all of me_

_I've tried_ _so hard to_ _tell myself_ _that you're gone_

_And though_ _you're still_ _with me_

_I've been_ _alone all_ _along_

How much time passed, none would know, but Aeriela and Madoc were the first of the four to depart from the grave. Tethir shifted, standing closer to Eve. "He was a good man," he said quietly.

"Yeah," she replied, voice empty.

Tethir touched her hand in a comforting gesture. "But we will not let his death be in vain. Come, let's take a walk." He held out his hand.

Eve stared at the offered appendage hesitantly, then raised her eyes to Tethir's deep, dark eyes, which were filled with honor and purpose. Her mind wandered back to Legolas' parting words of a man whom she would meet through danger, who would make her happy… She smiled at Tethir and accepted his hand. "Yeah. That sounds nice."

The young man smiled at her and didn't release her hand as they turned and strolled away from the grave. In a matter of seconds they had started up a pleasant conversation about Elves and their mysterious ways and, soon, the pain of Eve's loss began to mend as she found herself befriending yet another adventurer.

High in the sky, an ethereal entity beamed down upon the earth, his eyes set upon two young mortals taking a leisurely walk through the words. He smiled.

_finis_


	10. Die For

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.

A/N: I wrote this a really, really long time ago, and it now occurs to me that this is totally incorrect in Tolkein's universe… but I must finish it, so please bear with me. Please? =( Also, I'm not very fluent in elfish; you'll have to excuse me if I get anything wrong.

****

Storm Clouds 

****

By

Brin

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**Chapter 9,** **Alt Ending 2:** **…Die** **For**

The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Tears of pain and sorrow fell down his face and mingled with the blood and dirt there, stinging his cuts and yet soothing his bruises. His cheeks felt as if they had been set aflame and his head throbbed like the pounding of the goblin's war drums. Deep gashes like whip marks across his back made the simple act of just laying there as painful as could be. He wasn't sure if his arms and legs were still attached anymore. It didn't feel like they were, but he subconsciously knew they were there since they were the only parts of his body that _didn't_ feel like they were on fire. In fact, he couldn't feel them at all. But, somehow, through all the pain, he could hear someone talking, their voice dull and quiet as if far off in the distance, but getting louder…

"Legolas, when we get out of here I'm taking you on a long, long vacation. We'll get away from here and go to an abandoned beach and surf. Aeriela told me you liked the sea a lot. In fact, you're borderline obsessed with it. She told me a lot about you," Eve rambled, tears spilling over her face as she wiped him down and wrapped his wounds the best she could. It seemed to be helping; he wasn't as unrecognizable now as he had been a few minutes before. "If you die, I'll kick your ass, do you hear me?"

Legolas tilted his head a bit. "In your dreams," he croaked.

Eve's eyes widened. "No, no, no! No talking! I didn't mean for you to answer me!" she cried, her face full of both anger and sorrow. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. No more questions. Just lie there and try to… try to relax…" She finished wrapping his legs and arms in cloth and moved onto his torso. Clawing at the tears forming in her eyes, she pulled another roll of bandages from the pack Haldir had given her. "This is all my fault. I should have been more alert."

"No," Legolas protested. She tried to shush him again, but he shook his head weakly. "It's not your fault, Eve. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I sent you out alone. I didn't make sure the goblins were gone."

The young woman chewed her lip a bit before responding, "Okay, since I don't feel like arguing with you, it's no one's fault. You got me?"

Legolas nodded.

"Good. Now—"

Before she could finish, the door burst open and a group of goblins and Elves tumbled in, fighting amongst themselves. One of the goblins rolled onto its knees, only to be run through with a half-broken sword and tossed aside like a doll.

Eve screamed as an Elf and an Orc shoved each other around the room, smashing into things and seemingly taking turns punching one another. They almost landed atop Legolas, who was attempting to move out of the way, but, in a wave of bravado, Eve pushed them away and kicked the Orc in the side. Angry, the Orc jumped off the Elf and ran towards her. This gave the Elf the break he needed and, in one swift movement, he shot the Orc between the shoulder blades. It fell just short of Legolas.

The rest of the fights were settled and the Elves exited the room, leaving the corpses behind. Eve jumped up, closed the door behind them, then felt the contents of her stomach quickly rising north as she spotted a dead Elf lying atop the body of a goblin, five arrows protruding from his chest and one from his forehead. She turned away, her eyes straying to Legolas as he lay there, helpless.

"I'm sorry you have to see this," he whispered, eyes closed. "I'm sorry."

Eve shook her head vigorously as she walked back and kneeled next to him. "It's opened my eyes."

Legolas opened his bottomless blue eyes and lifted a hand to her cheek. "I love you."

Eve leaned into his touch, placing her small hand over his large one. "I love you, too."

"And no matter what happens," he continued, "that will never change. Not rain nor sleet nor snow" a smile crossed his features as he said this "will keep me from returning to you."

"Returning?" Eve's voice cracked. "You're not _going_ anywhere. You're _staying_ right here with me."

He moved his hand to her chest, where he could feel her heart beating rapidly against her ribcage. "I will until, the end of time, be right here, Eve. Always remember that."

"Look, Legolas!" shouted the young woman, grasping his hand tightly. "You are _not_ going to die! All we need to do is finish wrapping your wounds and get you out of here. It is not as bad as it seems…" She looked deep into his eyes and shook her head. "I won't let you go."

Legolas gave her a rueful look. "All the long years that I have lived, I have not loved one as much as I love you. Not Aeriela, not Marie. Our souls were _meant_ to convene, and at the same time… _meant_ to part."

"I'm not going to forget you, Legolas," she whispered back. "I will never spend a moment without you on my mind; in my heart." And then she leaned down to pressed her lips against his.

When she pulled back, Legolas murmured, "You have been poisoned. I taste it on your lips. I have been poisoned as well, and with the same toxin. The poison will move slower in your body since it is meant for Elven blood."

Eve remembered the contaminated blade that Draeg had made. Her heart sank down to her toes. "No. NO!"

"I have not the strength to find the antidote, but I can save _you_," he said softly.

"I'd rather die than live without you,"  Eve replied miserably. "Don't you see?"

"Eve, I need you to promise me something. Promise me that if I die, you won't follow me to the other side." Legolas' face was full of anguish. "Promise."

Not able to stand it any longer, Eve buried her tear-stained face in his shoulder and began to sob hysterically. "I…"

"Promise me!" he begged, weakly pulling an arm around her. "Please." When Eve hesitated, he mustered what was left of his strength and grabbed her face. "Promise me! Right now! _Do it!_" he pleaded, his voice rising steadily.

Startled by his sudden rush of aggressiveness, Eve nodded, though she didn't stop weeping. "I promise… I promise…," she repeated, then jerked her head away from his grip.

As if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders, Legolas' body relaxed against the ground, his eyelids drooping. He looked so small and frail compared to the fierce warrior Eve wanted to badly to return home. It was now that Eve noticed her arms were getting heavier, her eye struggling to keep open.

"The poison is moving," whispered Legolas, as if reading her thoughts.

Eve pulled back a bandage and looked at one of the cuts on his arm. Long red lines had developed from it, heading up his arm and towards the middle of his chest. These streaks joined together with the lines from other cuts that Draeg had made. They were deadly close to his heart. "Legolas!"

He simply nodded in return, eyes closed.

Eve clung to him for dear life, wishing more than anything in the world she could just wake up from this nightmare. Legolas' breathing was ragged and shallow and he hugged her back with what strength was left within him.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" whispered Eve.

Legolas shook his head and coughed. "This was bound to happen someday… I'm just glad you're with me." He kissed her lightly.

"You're gonna be okay," she declared with false bravado. "Don't leave me, please… I don't want to hear a goodbye."

"You'll be fine," he said quietly.

Eve stared at his face. He was beginning to look peaceful, and that was not necessarily a good sign. Peace in Death; that's what they always said. She could feel his pulse weakening underneath his cold, pasty skin. He was dying… there was no doubt about it. So she made a decision.

Outside, the battle raged on, but the incessant clank-clank of metal upon metal was beginning to ebb off. Legolas' sword sat a few feet away, forgotten until Eve's eyes settled upon it. She rose to her feet and picked it up.

"What are you doing?" croaked Legolas.

Eve didn't bother to reply. She hefted the Elven king's mighty sword. It was heavy in her hands, but as she slashed pretend enemies with it, she found that it was expertly made. The balance was perfect, the blade crafted to an edge so sharp that she was unable to see just where it ended. At the same time, if she pulled on the tip of the blade, the metal would bend back and forth, then spring back into place.

"Eve?"

The young woman glanced over at the Elven King, gave him a rueful smile, and then said, "We're getting you out of here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tethir raised his sword in triumph as the goblins fled deeper into the mines of Moria, though inside he knew that they were only pulling back to regroup, and then retaliate with a better-prepared army. For the time being, it was victory! He turned his head this way and that, searching for his fellow leaders. Philendel stood not too far off, dispatching a few straggling goblins. Kiendos was shooting Orcs as they passed, and indeed there was already a large pile around him. Gimli and Madoc were chasing the retreating goblins, laughing and enjoying themselves. Haldir was being rushed away to be treated for his amputated hand, but otherwise he had no perceptible injury. There was no sign of Legolas.

He jerked his head up as an Orc challenged him. His sword flashed and the Orc fell to the ground, along with his leg. Tethir cringed. When he raised his head again, he spotted a group of goblins gathered around a door, howling and shrieking angrily. Curious, the young man approached. He gasped.

Eve was in the middle of the fray, wielding a sword unfit for her delicate hands, and doing a fairly good job of getting rid of her goblin foes. Behind her lay a bloodied mass of… Elf?

Tethir jumped into action as he realized that the heap of blood and bandages was, in fact, Legolas. Unexpectedly undaunted by the thought of taking life, the young man mowed down the goblins one by one. This, combined with Eve's gauche swings at them, scared the goblins enough so that they finally fled with the rest of their miserable kind. When they were gone, Tethir looked at Eve questioningly. "Milady, what happened?"

"I'll explain later. Help me get him out of here! We've got to get him to a hospital!" insisted Eve, gesturing to the still Elf whom she had laid upon a blanket in order to drag him across the ground. "There's something I need to do."

Having a bit of medical training, Tethir knelt next to Legolas and felt his neck, then placed his palm upon the Elf's forehead. "He is weak. He hasn't much time." He peeled back the bandages to examine the poison lines. "Poison moves slower as it reaches the chest. He has but a short time before it will kill him, if the wounds do not do him in first."

Eve nodded. "Alright. Get him out of here. I'm going to go get the antidote."

Tethir's eyes widened, but the look upon Eve's face was so steadfast and determined that he dare not object. "As you wish, milady." He placed his hand over hers. "Go fast, for no amount of stitches save him. Be wary of lingering goblins."

Thankful for his lack of argument, Eve smiled and then ran off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loitering goblins did, indeed, block the passage to Draeg's chamber. Eve fought with all her might against them, hoping and praying that some higher power would aid her in recovering the antidote. Her own limbs were beginning to feel heavy, but she hoped it was from fighting fatigue and not the poison moving through her veins. She was so engrossed in her determination to save her beloved Legolas that, even as their blades broke open her skin and tore her flesh, she moved steadily forward until the goblins were forced to retreat.

"Yeah… run you cowards!" she weakly called after them, then stumbled against the cavern wall. Blood was covering her, but she didn't know where it was coming from. Her entire body was numb. Despite this, she placed one foot after the other and headed down the corridor. She traveled for some time before finally reaching her destination: the end of the barracks. To her great surprise and relief, Draeg's body lay where it had fallen. Staggering over to him, she clumsily searched the corpse. It took her a few minutes, but she finally found it – a small vial in his pocket.

She turned around and saw a soldier that had obviously been sent after her by Tethir. He picked up his pace as she began to sway, the word growing hazy. Just before he reached her, her body gave up and she fainted, falling over the body of the one being that had caused it all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Eve's eyes cracked open slightly. Blurry faces looked down at her, hushed voices whispered. She lifted her hand to rub her eyes and found herself hooked up to several different machines, an IV in her arm. As her vision cleared and her ears began working again, she slowly returned to full consciousness.

"…she's waking up…"

"…lucky to be alive…"

"…when should we tell her…"

"…is she ready for it?"

Eve blinked the last of the blurriness from her eyes and half-grinned. "Aeriela? Tethir? Madoc?" she whispered hoarsely.

Aeriela had moved to the side of the bed to study Eve's drip. After a moment or two, she turned and said, "Hello, sunshine."

The young woman was surprised to see tears in the she-Elf's eyes. "What's wrong?" A pause. "Where's Legolas? Did you give him the antidote?"

Her visitors exchanged unsure glances before Aeriela quietly spoke up, "He's… in a coma. You have been, too. For the last month, in fact."

"A month?!" Eve gaped. "I've been out for a month?" She tried to sit up, but it caused a sharp pain in her chest so she decided against it.

"Yeah." Tethir licked his lips self-consciously.

"I want to see him!" begged the young woman. She looked at each of them with pleading eyes. "Please."

Madoc touched her hand gently. "We don't want you to see him like he is. The poison really messed with his metabolism and…"

Eve grabbed his collar and whispered harshly, "Let me see him."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tethir made sure not to go too fast as he wheeled Eve down the white-washed hospital hall. Aeriela and Madoc had stayed behind, choosing instead to go visit other hospitalized soldiers.

Eve was debating with herself over whether or not to ask Tethir to turn around. Her heart was beating hard, her hand gripped her IV so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Would she recognize him? How terrible would he look? Would she ever be able to forget what she saw? She took a deep, shuddering breath and steeled herself. There was no turning back.

"Here we are." Tethir stopped her chair in front of a door, opened it, and rolled her inside.

A small gasp escaped the young woman. Legolas lay there, shrunken and frail on the ugly blue bed. He wasn't wearing a gown like Eve's, instead he was wrapped in endless bandages around his torso and head, while the bed sheet was pulled up to his stomach. His arms lay in an unnatural position on either side of him. His skin was no longer the healthily fair color Eve loved, but a ghastly grayish shade. A light sheen of sweat covered his face, still slightly swollen from his injuries.

Eve put her hand to her mouth to stifle a cry.

"I'll be outside if you need me," declared Tethir quietly.

The young woman paid him no attention as he left the room. She wheeled herself to the side of the bed, then somehow managed to pull herself into a standing position using her IV pole. Her legs wobbled beneath her, but she could concentrate on nothing but the elf before her. He looked so small, not the powerful king Eve once knew and loved. Would he ever be the elf he once was?

"Legolas," she whispered, taking his hand. "Chris? Please, wake up. I don't wanna see you like this. You gotta wake up. I know you're in there somewhere." Her legs were threatening to give, so she climbed onto the bed next to him. "I got the antidote to keep you alive, but if you're like this I don't know if I can bear it." She brought his hand to her lips. "Please, I love you. Wake up." Ever so lightly, she brushed his knuckles against her lips. Then, something happened that Eve hadn't seen coming…

Legolas' eyes fluttered open.

EPILOGUE [for alt ending 2]

A year passed in the blink of an eye. Many things happened, too many to count, but they were all of good outcome. Slowly but surely, Legolas and Eve together faced the task of recovering from their injuries. In no time it seemed, they were up and about once again. Christopher Bowman was hailed as the detective who destroyed the goblins, though the details of the great battle were left in considerable haze for obvious reasons. He was given the key to the city by the mayor of Seattle, and a great payment was awarded to him by supporters all over the globe – more than enough to retire early.

Since the fall of the Seattle goblins and Draeg himself, all over the world Elves sprang into action, destroying the problematic goblins around their area until all were decimated and there was finally peace in the heads of those who had been fighting the goblins all their lives. The Book was found to be powerless buried miles underneath the surface, and it troubled the Elves no more. The evils of Middle Earth had been put to rest after countless thousand years of fighting it.

Eve moved into the castle with Legolas while Aeriela found interest in Tethir. So it was that the Elves and men were reunited once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"More lemonade, my prince?"

Legolas held up his arm to shield his eyes from the sun. "Eve, you know that's not funny." He sat up on the picnic blanket.

"I think it's _very_ amusing, so there," she replied with a smirk as she set the lemonade canister next to the picnic basket and sat down next to the Elf. "Where'd Aeriela and Tethir go?"

"Eh, he chased her somewhere," replied Legolas. He put his arm around her.

_I cannot help it_

_I couldn't stop it if I tried_

_The same old heart beat_

_Fills the emptiness_

_I have inside_

_And I've_ _heard that you_ _can't fight love_

_So I_ _won't_ _complain_

_Cause why would I stop the fire_

That keeps me going on 

Eve smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder. All around them, the tall grass danced in the wind, glinting like emerald shards in the afternoon sun. The sky was nearly empty save the occasional fluffy cirrus cloud. Squirrels chattered away to each other in the trees behind them. Birds chirped happily, wheeling over the two lovers and casting an occasional shadow across the ground.

_'Cause_ _when_ _there's you_

_I_ _feel_ _whole_

_And there's_ _no better_ _feeling in the world_

_But_ _without_ _you_

_I'm_ _alone_

_And I'd rather be in love_

_With_ _you_

After a while, they lay down next to each other and Eve laid her head upon Legolas' shoulder once again. They stared up at the sky in pleasant silence until the Elf finally spoke, "When I was a boy, just a little lad, I asked my mother what love was, because I had heard the word and used it, but didn't know what it meant. She sat me on her knee and explained it to me."

_Turn out the lights now_

_To see is to believe_

_I just want you near me_

_I just want you_ _here with me..._

_And I'd give up everything only for you_

_It's the least_ _that I could do..._

"What'd she say?" asked Eve with a smile. She craned her neck to look at her beloved Elf.

"She told me," he answered, "that love is something two people have." A pause. "That it should be cherished like the miracle it is and, above all else, acknowledged often." He smiled nostalgically. "She told me a lot about how she was betrothed to my father from birth and that, even though she didn't love him in the beginning, she began to love him as they spent time together. Then there was me." The Elf laughed in spite of himself. "I was what sealed their love, you could say."

_And when_ _there's you_

_I feel whole_

_And there's no better feeling in the world_

_But_ _without you_

_I'm_ _alone_

_And I'd rather_ _be in love_

_With you_

Eve rolled onto her stomach, ending up half on top of the Elf. "I love you."

Legolas put his arms around her and whispered back, "And I love you. No matter what happens, no matter how many bad things happen… there's no better feeling in the world to me than being with you." He took a deep breath before diving into a painful subject, "And even though someday you'll leave me, I'd rather be in love with you than live a thousand years without ever knowing you."

_'Cause_ _when_ _there's_ _you_

_I feel whole_

_And there's no better feelin'_

_I'm_ _alone_

_And_ _I'd rather be in love_

_Yes, I'd_ _rather_ _be in love_

_Oh, I'd rather_ _be in love..._

_With_ _you_

_And I feel_ _you holding me..._

Tears formed in Eve's eyes. "Legolas, I…"

"Shush," he insisted, pressing a finger to her lips. "Later. I just wanted to express how I felt. We'll talk about it later."

"Alright," said the young woman reluctantly. She looked up as she heard the sound of Aeriela and Tethir approaching. "Love you, Elf."

"Love you, Maiden."

They kissed lovingly, then broke when Tethir and Aeriela broke through the line of trees and rejoined their friends. As they ate and drank, laughed and talked, thoughts of later perils melted away, replaced by reflection on the future.

And so ended the tale of the Dark Maiden and King of Mirkwood, but even so, it was only the beginning.

_finis_


End file.
